The South African government is further along a destructive path that Washington has begun to follow. If President Barack Obama follows through, as intended, with his proposed "executive amnesty" on immigration, he will poison relations between the branches of government.
He will divide the country; worse, he may convince partisans on both sides to use other means.
Those pushing for amnesty have already indicated that they are prepared to use extra-parliamentary methods to make their case, including civil disobedience. Those opposed to illegal immigration have resorted to vigilantism in the past. The country has been shocked by a string of brutal crimes committed by illegal aliens, and over the summer law and order broke down completely at the southern border, as thousands of children crossed over.
That is a toxic mix, and at this rate of escalation it is only a matter of time before it erupts.
Instead of calming tensions, Obama--who called for "civility" after Tuscon in 2011--is upping the ante. His proposal is even more audacious in the light of his many past declarations that he had no power to act on his own--that doing so would mean violating the Constitution and his oath of office, and that he was duty-bound to carry out laws on the books.
Pushing "executive amnesty" would not result in a "civil war"--a metaphor used by people on all sides of the debate--but it would certainly cause a political breakdown in Washington, and outbreaks of disorder elsewhere.
That is what has happened in South Africa--not the race war observers expected before Nelson Mandela led the country to democracy in 1994, but mounting anarchy as people lose confidence in their leaders and the system.
It is as though Obama intends to destroy this country....is he really a muslim, and considers us the "Great Satan"?