July 28, 2008

The Batman Diplomacy

By P.B. Masdal |

Posted In : Global Politics

Everyone in America right now is all agog over the stupendous success of the latest Batman movie, presently breaking every box-office record that there is to be broken, like a crazed tornado.

This had led Andrew Klavan, famed writer and essayist to deconstruct America’s most recent penchant for superhero movies, especially that Spiderman and Superman, as well as Iron Man, had similar extraordinary runs in the theaters.

In his WSJ piece “What Bush and Batman Have in Common” , Klavan points out to the US foreign policy of extensive military engagements abroad, for self-protection as well as in pursuit of indirect interests, like protection of democracy and liberties in threatened states abroad.

In the Batman movie, whenever there’s some disorder in the streets of Gotham City, the bat sign is flashed in the night sky (I wonder how it could be done on daytime) but above America, it should be the letter “W” high up in the air, meaning George W. Bush. In Bush’s engagements, America engages the enemy forcefully with high maneuver and skill, and presumably with gallant as in the eyes of Americans. Batman does the same to his (and of the people) enemies with such mightiness and cogency, and of course, the audience applauds him for that.

To Mr. Klavan, Hollywood’s recent success with superheroes accounts for this social psyche happening in America today, and could be an affirmation of President George W. Bush’s military campaigns abroad, often at great cost for the American pocket.

Just like in the Batman movie, the Batman Diplomacy of Bush, extreme force is always justified as every enemy is just merely that, like in those superhero movies, faceless and absolutely anomalous.

Klavan’s had these assumptions for this so-called foreign policy strategy, which he also term as “comic book diplomacy”:

1. (The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of “The Dark Knight” itself ) .Doing what’s right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.

2. Hate in order to defend values like love. The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them—when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.

3. Classic Machiavellian. Sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised—then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.

I know, Mr. Klavan seem to be merely repeating other foreign policy theories in describing this so-called “Batman Diplomacy”—- such as Realism (where states uses force as a logical and most convenient manner of international relations) for example, and Democratic Peace Theory (where democracies do not fight each other but unite to thwart communism)—- BUT, it has enough originality to be able to garner widespread attention, as it does right now, while Dark Knight is reaping millions in the box-office.

29 Comments »

1. barrycade says; July 28, 2008 @ 7:37 pm

   Many Hollywood films have “US saves the world” theme. Oldest I
   can think of is Independence Day. Now comes Batman. So yeah, maybe
   Mr. Klavan is right in his analogy.

2. prinsesamusang says; July 29, 2008 @ 8:52 am

   Wow, i like this line hate in order to defend values like love.I think it is also the same as to hate the racists because that’s what they are, which in turn makes you racist also.

3. bingskee says; July 29, 2008 @ 11:15 pm

   while Batman’s audience enjoy, Bush’s antagonists scheme because of disappointment and a betrayed feeling.

4. Major Tom says; July 29, 2008 @ 11:55 pm

   To Bing: It’s amazing how Bush war militaristic sojourn abroad could be so two-pronged, advantageous at once while negative at some other. It’s a kind of a phenomenon, I think.

5. Major Tom says; July 29, 2008 @ 11:57 pm

   To prinsesamusang: It’s purtely machiavellian, but it make some heavy sense somehow.

6. Major Tom says; July 30, 2008 @ 12:00 am

   To barrycade: I fear that it’s becoming an American psyche in the Bush era, violence in order to gain peace. Aren’t we all relived that Bush term is about to end? oe Or are we not?

7. haze says; July 30, 2008 @ 8:53 pm

   ....and Bush is the joker in real life. Sarkozy is the counterpart as President in France ! Should Batman kill the Jokers ?

8. bw says; August 6, 2008 @ 10:11 pm

   One can only hope that Bush’s decision to write off Sadam Hussein would prove profitable in the future. As it is today his decision looks like a debacle but we will never know – perhaps history will vindicate him.

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