Tuesday, March 29, 2016

On Foreign Policy, Obama’s Crown Has Proved Too Heavy for Him


NRO . . . "A common thread runs through these arguments: The president resents the demands of global leadership. For him, America’s role as the global superpower generates not grave responsibilities but unacceptable burdens. Obama castigates the putative failures of his allies and partners because he seeks to reduce America’s own footprint in the world. For the American-led international order that has prevailed since the Second World War, he wishes to substitute a multipolar international order. 

"The trouble with this approach is that global politics operates by different rules. Nations conduct their affairs not in isolated pockets of activity but as part of a broader equilibrium. Weaker countries, by their nature, gravitate to superpowers to obtain not only military backing but also diplomatic cover on the international stage. The United States, by virtue of its unrivaled strength, can afford to alienate individual countries as circumstances require. For other nations, however, the margin of error is thinner. If rogue regimes conclude that the Leviathan has abandoned its allies, their aggression will increase, and a seemingly localized conflict may emit aftershocks that reverberate far beyond its borders." . . .

I see Obama as the school weakling, anxious to please the bullies to avoid the cost of standing up to them. Obama gives in advance to our adversaries what he knows they will push for. It saves face to give in ahead of time so he will not look like a coward. He began this with giving
up missile defense sites promised to Poland and the Czech Republic.
This was followed by his video plea to the the Iranian government. And for sheer amateurish humiliation, who can forget the "reset button"?


No comments: