Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
The Meltdown -- Bret Stephens, Commentary
In July, after Germany trounced Brazil 7–1 in the semifinal match of the World Cup—including a first-half stretch in which the Brazilian soccer squad gave up an astonishing five goals in 19 minutes—a sports commentator wrote: “This was not a team losing. It was a dream dying.” These words could equally describe what has become of Barack Obama’s foreign policy since his second inauguration. The president, according to the infatuated view of his political aides and media flatterers, was supposed to be playing o jogo bonito, the beautiful game—ending wars, pressing resets, pursuing pivots, and restoring America’s good name abroad.
Instead, he crumbled.
As I write, the foreign policy of the United States is in a state of unprecedented disarray. In some cases, failed policy has given way to an absence of policy. So it is in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and, at least until recently, Ukraine. In other cases the president has doubled down on failed policy—extending nuclear negotiations with Iran; announcing the full withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
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My Comment: A brutal summary and analysis of President Obama's foreign policy.
5 comments:
What happened? ?? THE 2008 ELECTION!
I agree that US foreign policy is confused and bewildering, but I am a little confused by this author's insinuations. Was Obama supposed to declare war on Syria against Assad, attack Iran in support of the ephemeral green revolution, and prevent Russia from occupying the Crimea with the US Navy? I submit that the heavy-handed use of force and the concept that democracy can be exported through sufficient application of force (AKA the neocon agenda) is the problem with US foreign policy. In stark contrast to this author, I think it is the inertia of neoconservative policies and US overreach that Obama is still following that are causing the most problems. The US cannot be everywhere and solve everything, especially with force.
Oh no...I agree in some of that!! But when people are he'll bent on the destruction of you or your beliefs you have to act before another 9/11.The only one I think we shouldn't mind our own buisness is iran.They have called for the destruction of the US and Israel.Sometimes you have no choice but to take the fight to them!! Sorry I didn't clarify better:
Foreign policy is not the ONLY FAILURE!!!
It would be much simpler to list the accomplishments!
There are accomplishments?
On a serious note .... I am a critic of President Obama .... but on the other hand I do understand why he is loathe to commit U.S. forces into military operations .... they are expensive, people die, long term international relations are affected. But sometimes .... forces have to be committed. It is this lack of strategic thinking on what type of pressure should be committed that bugs me about this administration. Case in point .... Ronald Reagan and the old Soviet Union. Everyone knew that he would not go to war against the Soviet Union (and vice versa in Moscow) .... but President Reagan knew how to effectively use his platform to support the dissident movement in Eastern Europe, to use targeted sanctions to make a point, and to stand on his moral principles that reverberated even among his fiercest opponents in Moscow.
President Obama totally lacks this type of moral commitment on the international stage. And while I do understand that his priority is to transform American and not the world .... the world has a nasty habit of coming at your door if your choose to ignore it. Right now .... this President is trying his best to ignore it .... and in this vacuum we are now seeing the worse of mankind making a presence.
what is the use of using the word CONDEMNED always
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