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Obama has Destroyed American Credibility: Can We Recover?
In just eight years, our nation’s credibility has been damaged beyond my wildest imagination. President Obama made our punishment his mission, and he has been successful. Now that the damage has been done, what will the next president do? In Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (still behind a firewall at this writing), Dick and Liz Cheney describe the havoc that Obama has wreaked in our global relationships. Below — and in no particular order — I’ve some speculations regarding what the next president, no matter who is in office, can take to rectify the situation:
- Re-establish active relationships with our European allies, particularly the United Kingdom, to let them know the ways (beyond words) that we are prepared to step forward.
- Throw out the Iran agreement. Let the Iranians know that we are no longer going to tolerate their lies and that any further payments to them are off the table. Also let them know we will respond to threats to our navy in international waters.
- Clarify who are our allies in the Middle East, and meet with them to reach agreements on how we are willing to support them in fighting terrorism.
- Mend our relationship with Israel, and let Hamas and Palestinian Authority know that we will no longer tolerate their lack of cooperation and their ongoing aggression in that part of the Middle East.
- Provide arms to Ukraine so that they can make a decent effort to protect themselves.
- Determine strategies for dealing with North Korea, Russia, and China, and hold to those decisions through our actions.
- Assess the military and determine funding that is needed and where it is needed; if necessary, “retire” those who have been known to manipulate information and mislead our citizens.
The list could go on, but those are some of the steps I see in front of us. Most of them will be difficult, but we must be internationally strategic and assertive to let the world know that the United States is “back in town” and willing to rejoin the community of international power and responsibility.
As Dick and Liz Cheny said:
As Americans calculate the costs of leadership, we must remember that the costs of failing to lead—or of inaction—are much higher. Imagine a world where Russia, Iran, China and North Korea set the rules; where militant Islam spreads its evil ideology unchallenged across the globe; where parts of Europe are once again enslaved by Russia, our NATO alliance impotent; and where China achieves military superiority over the U.S. and dominates Asia and beyond.
Finally, imagine a world where the terrorists and their leading state sponsor have nuclear weapons. Fifteen years after 9/11, we can say with certainty that this is the world that will be created by withdrawal and retreat—by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s policies—if we don’t reverse course.
What do you think the next president will need to do to rebuild our international effectiveness and credibility?
Published in Foreign Policy
If the US leadership is any indication you should start with the baseline speculation that those in office are sociopaths that are addicted to power. Said addiction is reputed to be more powerful than cocaine.
As the standard of value question I’ll restate it;
Why do you have that belief? (The arms delivery to Ukraine as a method of restoring legitimacy to US foreign policy as a force for [what exactly?]). It’s clear that you realize that this policy is toxic (for the domestic population), so you won’t send bodies. Though you are willing to throw our credibility away in this half-hearted affair. I’m reminded of all the successes where we assisted deposing foreign governments only later for the US to stumble into blowback.
What is your standard of value?
If it’s freedom, or voluntarism, the solution is partitioning Ukraine.
Is this even possible?