Articles and Essays on Legitmacy

The United States of America still remains the World’s number one super power.

Yet any objective and thinking person upon scrutinizing the political leadership pf America, might be inclined to take a few steps back and put together the following question “If Senator Hilary Clinton is elected to be the first woman President of the United States, and serves two terms, where is the legitimacy in the fact that two families will have controlled the destiny of this great and influential country for 28 consecutive years?”
Can it be possible that these 4 people out of the hundreds of millions who, theoretically at least, have been eligible to be elected to lead the American nation are the best suited?  That a father and son interspersed with a husband and wife has turned out to be the best people for the job. If you were asked what are the chances happening, you would have to answer in the hundreds of trillions.
However, every one knows this is not an object of chance. This is part of a political system that might be described as being very unhealthy.

When individuals who are members of either of the major political parties submit their candidacy for the president ship, then a well –oiled political machine swings into action. Campaign financing is a major issue and a sensitive one too. The candidate with the best backing and neccessarily the one with the ideal talents and attributes is chosen to represent the American people in possibly the toughest job in the World.

So what has motivated and continues to motivate the people who want to take on the awesome responsibility that goes with the job?

Is it the power, the prestige or the genuine desire to serve the people?

After all, history has shown that most of the presidents that have served in the last half century were in a very strong financial position, and certainly did not need the middle of the road salary and perks that went with the job.

A notable exception was Bill Clinton who served as President of the United States from 1993 till 2001. Clinton came from very humble backgrounds. Despite that fact, he succeeded in defeating the incumbent George Bush Senior in one of the biggest political upsets of the twentieth century.  Bush’s popularity was at an all time high just a few months earlier at the end of the 1^st Iraq War

What brought Clinton’s victory was his undoubted charisma which shone against Bush’s slightly staid and off-hand personality.

So the question is will Mrs. Clinton, an undoubted political veteran with tremendous ability, but considerably less charismatic than her husband have sufficient impetus to win the presidency and keep it in the family.

However she will probably be aware that there is another Bush waiting in the wings, Jeb, currently Governor of Florida, who is expected to stand in 2012.

These Bushes sure are talented,

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Many people think that the Global War against Terrorism began after

Terrorists successfully attacked and destroyed the Twin Towers in Manhattan, New York on the United States on September 11, 2001.

This was the day that brought on President Bush’s announcement on the launching of the Global War on Terror. This was to be a military and law enforcement campaign with the sole intention to bring the fight to America’s enemies. The very fact that a group of terrorist had many to plan an carry out such an audacious attack on such a prominent and symbolic target sent chills down the collective spine of the American people. The fact that 3,000 brave people had been victims of the largest single terrorist attack in modern history sent the American people a wake up call that they had been living in fear of. It told them the Global War on Terrorism would be a long and dirty war, and tactics would be employed that many people would later find themselves doubting their legitimacy.

Terrorism has been part of the global picture since the Nineteen Fifties and Sixties. Some early examples are the French curbing of terrorism in Algeria, and the British handling the IRA insurgence both in Northern Ireland and on the British Mainland. Heavy handed tactics were freely employed in both these campaigns. However in those days, the ability to impose censorship was much more pronounced that it is now, and many tactics were employed” behind the scenes” that eventually brought victory and sent the terrorists begging for a cease fire.

The Western World is only too aware that Osama Bin Laden is the leader of a massive terrorist community who are responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent victims all over the World. That retribution should be harsh and cruel there can be no doubt. However there are many people of principal who balk at the images of terrorist being held without trial in Guantanamo Bay for years.

These people are war criminals and are being held and interrogated to extract information that may well save innocent lives in the future. When some well meaning soul begins to question the legitimacy of interrogation and the methods employed, they should remember that all of us are in the firing line in the war against international terrorism. And all is fair and legitimate in war.

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Outsiders look upon the European Monarchies as being a cross between a media attraction and a throwback to times long gone by.

However the fact is undeniable that the European countries who do boast an active monarchy have displayed a political stability over the last century, at least, that other Western European countries cannot come close to.

There are those who say that if Great Britain did not have a monarchy during World War Two, it may have not won the war. The people, and especially the charismatic prime minister of the time, the late Sir Winston Churchill, got very far behind the Royal Family. And the Royal Family reciprocated by visiting the sites of the Luftwaffe bombing raids in London, exposing themselves to real personal danger.

It has been the adherence to traditions that has allowed European monarchy to last the pace, with an eye to keeping pace with times and the affections of the people. The costs of retaining a monarchy are expensive, whilst most members of European monarchies have amassed great personal wealth. However the bulk of costs involved in maintaining the monarchy fall on the taxpayer.
However the people seem happy to maintain this establishment and there is no sign of any of the major European families stepping down or being overthrown in the near future,
The British Monarchy, in relative terms, has gone through some more upheavals in the last century, from the abstention of King Edward to the death of Lady Diana. The temporary tremors that these major events caused were dealt with by the stoicism of the British Royal family, and fairly soon things returned to business as usual at Buckingham Palace.

The other European Monarchies have experienced less turbulent times, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Norway and Sweden all enjoying a stability that mirrors the public’s feeling of legitimacy towards the monarchy and the willingness to subsidize this venerable institution for the foreseeable future.

Over all, the monarchies have shown their willingness and ability to try some new directions. Whilst breaking down some of the more rigid traditions, they are yet to

Display any signs of radicalism that would suggest levels of informality indicating a break in its continuity.

European monarchy sits well in its role of being above the day-to-day political struggle. There role of being above the daily struggle to survive and prosper has actually gained the monarchies the respect and the love of their people.

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