Is The U.S. Retreating From It's Global Duties?

America Stands Accused Of Retreat From Its Global Duties. Nonsense -- Michael Cohen, The Guardian

Naysayers allege that American influence is waning and cite Barack Obama's inaction on Syria and Ukraine as proof that its foreign policy has been reduced to watching the 'bad guys' do what they like.

That is a complete fantasy.

A new word, it seems, has come to the fore to describe US foreign policy in the age of Obama: retreat.

The signs of alleged American fecklessness are everywhere: withdrawal from Afghanistan, which followed the ignominious departure from Iraq; negotiations with the mullahs in Iran rather than bombs over Tehran; an aimless and hollow pivot to Asia that is failing to deter a rising China; a newly assertive Russia seizing territory without consequence; cuts in defence spending while al-Qaida franchises pop up across the Middle East and perhaps the worst of all sins – failure to stop the bloodletting in Syria. It's a policy that Niall Ferguson calls "one of the great fiascos of post-World War Two American foreign policy". (Mental note: send Niall Ferguson a book about the Vietnam War.)

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My Comment: The U.S. is certainly not retreating from it's global duties .... it is instead completely turning it upside down. Rapprochement with Iran without telling our two closest allies in the Middle East (Israel and Saudi Arabia) on what we were doing ... until they discovered it themselves. Starting a peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians that was more focused on the process instead of the details .... and no surprise .... that has now collapsed. Alienated the interim government in Egypt while embracing the old Muslim Brotherhood government. Embracing the new interim government in Ukraine .... and alienating those who ran the country before they were thrown out. Russian reset is now completely dead and buried. Supported the creation of South Sudan .... and now avoid it after it has imploded into civil war. Support the overthrow of Libyan strongman Gaddafi .... and now avoid the mess that is Libya (especially after Benghazi).  Announcing an Asian pivot .... but not providing the means to make it a reality. As China ascends and threatens it's neighbors .... the response has been consistently mute .... until Hagel's trip to the region last week .... a trip that was more done to placate U.S. allies who were wondering why the U.S. went AWOL. Announcing red lines .... and then retreating from them. And while there has been no major wars for U.S. troops to become engaged in .... the U.S. is now involved in multiple wars and conflicts throughout the world albeit with a smaller footprint .... whether through the CIA or Special ops.

So yes .... the U.S. has certainly been active on the international scene .... and suffice it to say that I now see the world becoming a more dangerous place than what it was when President Obama took power in 2009 .... and I do not see this trend changing for the remainder of his term. And while I do know that foreign policy is an incredibly difficult portfolio to run.... I do remember what President Obama said and promised when he was running for the Presidency in 2008 .... and in this context he has certainly fallen short.