Olympus Has Fallen

I have always been fascinated by the relationship between the film industry and social mood not just in Hollywood, but indeed globally. At times film directors and producers show an uncanny ability to predict and anticipate themes and stories that will appeal to the public in future years when the film completes the transition from inception to completion. Often the way a film is received by the public acts as a data point to current public social values and moods at the time of release.
With this view the recent film “Olympus has Fallen” takes on new meaning. Olympus was the home of the Greek Gods, so even its use as a code word for the White House implies a high level of hubris. The story focuses on how Americas greatest symbol of power is assaulted. The President of the United States captured, and nation held to ransom by a group of disavowed North Korean terrorists. To the causal watcher the White House is attacked in a surprisingly innovative way, but the reason for the success of the attack comes in the subtle form of a breach of protocol in security from within the White House.  Instructed by the President himself, he allows the South Korean delegation to share his bunker. This internal breach of security protocol is a subtle and yet a key message. History is littered with examples of Empires that, once in decline and facing challenge from competitors, complete the process from the within.
Today history is repeating itself in America. After a period of gradual decline under Clinton, which was accelerated during the Bush Administration, President Obama is finishing the job with frightening rapidity. Obama’s Presidency lays bare Americas decline for all to see with the current debacle over Syria. The significance of Obama's numerous about faces, betrayal of his Secretary of State and failure to follow through on enforcement of clearly defined red lines with respect to the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, is of the magnitude of  Britain's Suez moment.
Not only has America failed to act unilaterally as a superpower should in such circumstances, with the appropriate unilateral use of force, but it has been wrestled to the ground by Putin's Russia, and it is now faced with options that only perpetuate its humiliation. Across the world, nations that sit on the borders with Russia and China have woken up with the question; will America be there to support us as they once promised? Regimes with the most immediate concerns must include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Caucasus countries, South Korea Taiwan and Japan. This is a seismic shift in our Geopolitical world.
History has proven that the best way to ensure peace and prosperity is to maintain a strong defense and deterrence and to leave any challenging protagonist with the clear message that aggression will not go unpunished. Obama was awarded a Nobel peace prize at the start of his Presidency and yet his actions have and continue to do more to increase the chances of future conflicts than any president since Roosevelt.
Mr. President, may we have our Peace Prize back?
See more of David Murrin's geo political writing here: www.davidmurrin.co.uk