Is The U.S. Disengaging From The World?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland January 24, 2014. Kerry returns to the United States tomorrow. Credit: Reuters/Gary Cameron

Secretary Of State Kerry Rejects Notion U.S. Is Disengaging From World -- Lesley Wroughton, Reuters

(Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed on Friday as "a myth" suggestions that the United States was withdrawing from world affairs.

"I'm perplexed by claims I occasionally hear that somehow America is disengaging from the world - this myth that America is pulling back, or giving up, or standing down. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth," Kerry told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

His remarks were seen partly as a response to Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief, who told a Davos panel earlier on Friday that the world was disappointed with a "sense of no direction" in U.S. foreign policy.

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My Comment: I am somewhat torn on the question of U.S. disengagment from the world. On the one hand there is a perception that U.S. influence and strength is in decline across the spectrum .... economically, militarily, and (most important of all) politically. On the flip side .... the U.S. is now involved in more conflicts than ever before .... through special forces, the establishment of military bases, and a defense budget that dwarfs everyone else combined. I guess the answer is somewhere in between .... but I will still argue that U.S. economic problems and the political unwillingness to handle this will divert and hurt U.S. foreign policy more than debacles such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and other military and political misadventures.