Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Greg Jaffe and Griff Witte, Washington Post: A cold-eyed view of allies has left Obama with few overseas friends
For someone who preaches the importance of diplomacy and outreach, even to longtime enemies, President Obama can be awfully tough on his friends.
In recent months, he has offended most of the United States’ Persian Gulf allies. “All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats,” he joked privately, according to a recent profile in the Atlantic magazine. Publicly, he has said he “weeps” for Saudi and Kuwaiti children.
The United States’ European allies, he complains, have grown too dependent on American firepower to keep them safe.
Even the United Kingdom, a U.S. “special” partner, has received criticism. Obama seemed to blame the postwar chaos in Libya on British Prime Minister David Cameron, who he said “became distracted by other things” and didn’t do enough to bring order to the fractious country.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Aside from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau I do not know of any other foreign leader who looks at his relationship with President Obama as "a plus". And what is surprising to me .... and I wish that I was wrong .... is that much of this "animosity" is personal .... not based on policy. Mind you .... if Donald Trump becomes President many of these animosities will probably remain, the only difference with Trump is that it will be (and I am purely speculating now) based on policy .... not personality.
4 comments:
President Obama has no presidential skills is more of a kid nothing compared to Ronald Reagan,all hope Mr Donald Trump for president.
Waddaya mean no foreign leaders see a relationship with his O'ness as a plus?!
You didn't see him bustin' a move with President Kenyatta? No way Trudeau can get down like that.
http://m.etonline.com/news/168780_president_obama_dances_with_kenyan_pop_stars_and_country_president/
Ok RRH .... two leaders.
I'm pretty sure Trump would be easier for foreign leaders to deal with. He's the deal man after all. He's also not a meddling do-gooder by inclination. A pragmaticist like that would find it easier to maintain a rapport with people, especially east of Germany.
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