UMongameli uDonald Trump.UChris Kleponis-Pool / Getty Izithombe Kwiiveki okanye kwiinyanga zokuthatha iofisi, uninzi lwabongameli banamhlanje baye bafumana ubunzima okanye intlekele. UJack Kennedy wagunyazisa uhlaselo olubi lweBay of Pigs. UGeorge W. Bush wajongana noSeptemba 11. UBarack Obama wazuza njengelifa iimfazwe ezimbini kunye nokudilika kwemali.
Iingxaki azikhawulelwanga kwiintsuku zokuqala zolawulo. U-Lyndon Johnson ekugqibeleni khange afune ukuphinda abuyele e-Vietnam, ungquzulwano oluye lwanda ngokungalunganga emva kwesigameko sesibini se-Tonkin Gulf ngo-Agasti 1964 ngenxa yokuba wayekholelwa ngempazamo ukuba uHanoi uhlasele abatshabalalisi ababini base-US. IWatergate igqibe uRichard Nixon. Ukuhlasela kweSoviet Afghanistan e-1979 ngasekupheleni kuka-1979 mhlawumbi yayisisikhonkwane sokugqibela kubongameli bukaJimmy Carter.
Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, uMongameli uDonald Trump uthintele iingxaki ezinkulu zobungakanani obukhankanywe ngasentla-nangona iNorth Korea ingekho emva kwethu ngokupheleleyo. Phantse zonke ii-gaffes zika-Mongameli kunye neempazamo ziye zazinyanzela. Kodwa umntu uyazibuza ukuba kwenzeka ntoni xa (okanye nini) kwehla intlekele yokwenyani.
Ngokunikwa indlela lo mongameli ahlala esenza ngayo izigqibo, umcimbi we-Iran-Contra odle ikota yesibini kaRonald Reagan, kwiminyaka engama-31 eyadlulayo, uyafundisa. UReagan wayefuna ngamandla ukukhusela ukukhululwa kwabantu abasixhenxe baseMelika ababanjwe eLebhanon nguHezbollah. Iindlela zokufezekisa injongo entle kamongameli yayikukucwangciswa, ekubuyeni, kwavela into engenangqondo.
Nantsi indlela ebekufanele ukuba ihambe ngayo: Ngenxa yokuba i-Iran ilawula i-Hezbollah, nangona isifungo sesiphathamandla sokungaze sitshintshise ngezixhobo zokubamba, yiyo kanye le ndlela abo bafuna ukubanjwa beza kufuna ukukhululwa ngayo. I-Iran iya kufumana iingalo. Abathinjwa baya kukhululwa.
Naluphi na ukuhanjiswa kweengalo nangona kunjalo kuya kufuna umntu wesithathu njengoko kwakungenakwenzeka kwezopolitiko kunye nokungekho mthethweni ukuba urhulumente wase-US abandakanyeke ngokuthe ngqo. Umsebenzi ujikeleze kwaSirayeli. I-US iyakuthatha indawo ye-Israeli Hawk kunye nemijukujelwa yeTow kwabo baya kuthi bathunyelwe e-Iran endaweni yokuhlangula abo bathinjiweyo.
I-Israel iya kuthi emva koko ibuyisele i-United States ngezi zixhobo zotshintsho. Ezo mali bekufanele ukuba ziye ngqo kuNondyebo wase-U.S. Endaweni yokuba kusetyenziselwe imali ngendlela enobudenge.
UReagan wayengumxhasi oqinileyo we-Nicaragua Contras. Nangona kunjalo, emva kokuba i-CIA igrumbile amanzi aseNicaragua ngokuphula umthetho wase-U.S., Izilungiso ezintathu ezibizwa ngokuba yi-Massachusetts Rep. U-Edward Boland wakuthintela ukudluliselwa kwalo naluphi na uncedo, iimali okanye inkxaso kurhulumente wase-US kwi-Contras. Kuba ezi mali zivela kwa-Israyeli, injongo ngokucacileyo yayikukuthintela umthetho.
Kwakungekhona kuphela ukuba ingqiqo yayihlekisa, isicwangciso sasingekho semthethweni kwaye sasingenakusebenza. Kwakungenathemba naïve ukucinga ukuba ayizukuvuza. Ewe kunjalo.
Emva kwetyala, i-14 yabancedisi bakaReagan bagwetywa-kubandakanya nonobhala wezomkhosi kunye nababini babacebisi bezokhuseleko kwilizwe likaReagan. Kubo, bali-11 abagwetywa. Kwaye ikamva lobongameli bukaReagan lixhonywe ngentambo.
Ukuphanda le fiasco, uReagan wanyula ababesakuba zii-Senator uJohn Tower kunye no-Edmund Muskie (owayekwangunobhala welizwe) kunye nowayesakuba ngumcebisi wezokhuseleko kuzwelonke uLieutenant General Brent Scowcroft. Kwenye ingxelo eyoyikisayo, indlela yolawulo kaReagan yayibonakaliswe njengekheswa kwaye ibuye yabuya umva. Ekuqaleni kuka-1987, uReagan wazivuma esizweni iimpazamo zakhe, ecenga ukuba ngelixa intloko yakhe isazi ukuba oku kuphosakele, entliziyweni yakhe wayefuna ukukhululwa kwabathinjwa baseMelika.
Kwinxalenye enkulu, into esindise uReagan-nokuba umntu uyavuma okanye akavumelani nezopolitiko-yayiyindlela elungileyo yoluntu yokujonga umongameli. UReagan wayengengomdlali weqonga ubalaseleyo. Indima yakhe ekhunjulwa kakhulu eHollywood mhlawumbi yayidlala uGeorge Gipp, umdlali webhola waseNotre Dame owathi, xa wayeselukhukweni lokufa, walumkisa abalingane bakhe ukuba baphumelele iGipper. Kwabaninzi, uReagan wayenguGipper.
Ngoku jonga indlela uMongameli uTrump anokuhamba ngayo kwintlekele enkulu mhlawumbi yokwenza kwakhe. Impendulo ibonakala icacile. Ngenxa yobuntu bukamongameli, ubumnene, kunye nembono yokugxeka ukunyaniseka okutshabalalisa kakhulu ukuthanda okuhle kunye nenqabileyo kwezopolitiko, kunzima ukubona ukuba angaphila njani. Elinye inqaku ledatha: ngelixa isenokuba yayinobuqhophololo kwezopolitiko ukuqhankqalaza indawo yokuhlala yexeshana elincinci kunye neeDemokhrasi ngaphezulu kokuphakanyiswa kwetyala okwethutyana, iinkumbulo eCapitol Hill zenza ukuba iindlovu zibonakale ngathi zinesifo sokuqaqadeka.
Akunakwenzeka ukuba uqikelele ingxaki elandelayo kunye nokuba iza kubakho nini. Kodwa ingxaki iya kujongana nolawulo. Imibuzo ephambili kukuba ingaba abacebisi abasondeleyo bomongameli abasuka kusapho ukuya kwiNtloko yabaSebenzi uJohn Kelly bayayazi le meko inokubakho kwaye banefuthe lokwenza umahluko ngaphambi kokuba kube semva kwexesha. UDonald Trump zizinto ezininzi. Kodwa akanguye uMthumeli.
UGqirha Harlan Ullman usebenze kwiQela eliCebisayo eliPhezulu kwi-Supreme Allied Commander yaseYurophu (2004-2016) kwaye kungoku nje nguMcebisi oMkhulu kwiBhunga laseAtlantic laseWashington DC, usihlalo weenkampani ezimbini zabucala kunye nombhali oyintloko wemfundiso yokothuka kunye noloyiko. Umntu wangaphambili wenqanawa, wayalela umtshabalalisi kwiPersian Gulf kwaye wakhokela ngaphezulu kwe-150 yemishini kunye nokusebenza eVietnam njengeSwipper Boat skipper. Incwadi yakhe elandelayo I-Anatomy yokuSilela: Kutheni iMelika ilahlekile yonke iMfazwe iqala iya kupapashwa ekwindla. Umbhali unokufikelelwa kwi-Twitter @harlankullman.
