Here in the United States, the last time there was a high-level principled resignation was 1980, when Secretary of State Cyrus Vance quit rather than sign off on Jimmy Carter’s doomed attempt to rescue the embassy hostages in Iran with an invading force of attack helicopters. It’s hard to remember, therefore, that the principled resignation used to be quite common in American politics and the rest of the world.
Egypt’s Mohammed ElBaradei has resigned as vice president of Egypt’s ruling military junta in the aftermath of a violent crackdown in which government troops slaughtered hundreds of pro-Morsi demonstrators. Setting aside the matter of whether he ever ought to have joined such a regime in the first place, this, folks, is how it’s done. Not like, say, loyalists like Colin Powell, who knowingly lied us into war at the UN rather than tell George W. Bush to go to hell.
4 Comments.
The disconnect you’re having Ted, is that American leaders of all stripes (government, corporate, education, etc …) have zero principles. Actually they have one principle: Their own success, usually in monetary form. Hence, Colin Powell waits until he has no real power to make his moral stand. That way, he get’s the package deal. Which is:
– Time on all the major network shows (Meet the Press, Today, This Week, Maher, etc ….)
– A multi-book deal, complete with 7-figure advance.
– A spot on the lucrative lecture circuit, pulling in 10-50 grand per speech.
– Corporate board offers. High pay, no work.
– Endless unearned praise from the “other side”, for being so brave (after the fact).
If you stand up for principle when you actually have power, you don’t get the package deal. You get nothing, really. You get a few “attaboys” and pats on the back, but the power structure you turned your back on will punish you forever. And that’s just not the American Way. The American Way is the package deal. That way you get the money and self-satisfaction that you’re a hero, even though your not. It’s the best of all worlds, and isn’t that what America is all about?
i don’t know if this is high level enough or even a real resignation (he was probably fired) but it’s close. he stood up for what’s right. that’s gotta count for something. 🙂
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/13/pj-crowley-resigns-bradley-manning-remarks
This is very related to what exkiodexian is arguing:
Namely in a bad economy with few lucrative jobs (or even just few jobs at all) not controlled the same small gang of elite you will see very few principled resignations. If you have a good economy with tons of lucrative or otherwise appealing jobs not all controlled by the same people you will see far more principled resignations, because after one resigns one will have a place to go and will still have a decent standard of living to pursue.
As things stand currently principled resignations in the US are like suicide bombings with two key differences. First, at least suicide bombing is quick and painless, the follow up from making principled self sacrificial actions in the US will haunt you and make you suffer until the day you die, which may take quite a while. Second, suicide bombers usually come from impoverished powerless backgrounds, so they have nothing to loose via their self sacrifice and everything to gain via posthumous reputation, which may actually help their family, and the chance, however impossibly small, that there is in fact a heaven with 72 virgins waiting for them. Meanwhile US power elites have everything to loose and nothing to gain via their self sacrifice. As such, even with the lack of a good economy, you could probably get more principled resignations if the people in the rolls in question, had nothing to loose, everything to gain (however improbable), and could be assured that the whatever the worst that could possibly happen would still be extremely quick and painless (even if it is death).
Colon Powell is exactly the way his name should be spelled, colon. Shit in, shit out. Probably never wanted to be a colon, but found it his calling. It’s not all bad, as a colon still provides vitamins as part of the digestive process. Success is wonderful to pursue for whatever reason, but the reason may be suspect, like Obama’s need to look careful and thoughtful, despite being fairly useless unless you count the innocent people he’s killed. Killing people? We have never cared much before, so why start now, huh?