Chris Adamo
America's international standing founders under Obama
By Chris Adamo
Once again, a dosage of reality is needed to properly assess the real effect that Barack Obama is having on America's standing among the nations of the world. And as usual, the truth is far less glowing than the liberal media enclave would have us believe.
Americans are incessantly told that those other nations are currently much happier with it and feel less threatened by it under the headship of an avowed leftist like Obama. While such an appraisal is quite believable, it does not follow that this translates into an elevated respect from those nations. In fact, the historical truth is completely to the contrary. America and its leaders ignore this to the imminent peril of the nation.
When all of the platitudes of burgeoning "international good will" are stripped away, nations ultimately function as competitors. Few cases of genuine international altruism exist, and the overwhelming majority of international relations are pursued by each nation from the perspective of its own best interests.
A fiscally and diplomatically weak but sustainable America poses the least risk of exerting influence on other nations, and is thus much more appealing to them than when it is strong and purposeful. Under the Obama Administration, America has lost significant sway with the rest of the world, which is just fine with every foreign entity that seeks to gain dominance and power. As long as the United States, with its rampant consumerism, can continue to enable the world's economic engine on terms dictated by the other nations, they can reap monetary benefits from it while ignoring and even deriding its values and interests.
However, this cycle cannot continue indefinitely. During every previous period in which the United States retreated into such a weak and vulnerable position, its enemies eventually recognized the moment as their opportunity to strike a blow against this nation. And that pattern is currently being repeated with disturbing predictability.
From the earliest days of Jimmy Carter's single 1977-1981 term as president, it became glaringly obvious that the criminally naive Georgia peanut farmer, despite having served as Governor, was completely lacking in the necessary moral and philosophical convictions or spine to stand against any foreign adversary. Carter backed down in the face of Soviet expansionism in Cuba and at one time or another had pandered to virtually every dictatorial regime on the planet.
As a result, Iran's Islamist "revolutionaries," spoiling for an opportunity to saber rattle in front of the world on the heels of their ouster of the Shah, were emboldened to attack the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November of 1979, holding its staff as hostages for well over a year and humiliating this nation for the impotence of its responses the entire time.
Likewise, though the 9-11 attacks were carried out in the early days of the George Bush Administration, plans for the event were formulated during the tenure of President Bill Clinton. And, as a telling precursor, bin Laden pulled off several smaller but escalating assaults throughout the 1990s. Clinton's deplorable and embarrassing conduct as Chief Executive, along with the dangerously reckless games he openly allowed cabinet appointees and their underlings to play with America's security, created a "window of opportunity" that enticed America's enemies to strike.
Now, with Barack Obama regularly displaying his contempt for real America, accompanied by his efforts to weaken its intelligence apparatus and its military, alarming signs of similar brewing storms are on display. The former rise and fall of Libyan ruler Muammur Qaddafi, and most significantly his current resurgence as one of America's most outspoken and active antagonists, are stunning examples that can not long be ignored by America and the West without eventually reaping dire consequences.
Once a raging anti-American terrorist leader and instigator, Qaddafi made no attempt to hide his support and involvement in several attacks against the West during the 1980s, such as the 1986 bombing of a German discotheque in which 220 people were killed, including two Americans. Yet Qaddafi lost much of his enthusiasm for those murderous exploits after Ronald Reagan authorized a massive air strike against the Libyan capitol of Tripoli, which yielded direct hits on Qaddafi's own residence.
In the wake of that event, the Libyan ruler generally retreated from the world scene, completely losing his previous zeal to wreak death and destruction through terrorist activity. Qaddafi's seeming regression into passivity appeared absolute on the heels of America's capture of Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein in late 2003. Shortly afterwards, Qaddafi brokered a deal with the Americans whereby he promised to abandon his program of developing a nuclear bomb in return for the promise of non-interference by the Americans.
Despite rampant media derision, the "Bush Doctrine" of categorizing other nations as either allies or enemies of America, had been a stunning success. But now it is being undone.
In response to Scotland's outrageous release of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber who in 1988 planted a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 killing 270 people, Barack Obama insipidly offered a statement of disagreement, and an admonition to Libya not to treat al-Megrahi's return to that country as a major event. But having eroded the status of America to that of a "paper tiger," Obama was apparently unaware that his own office would be similarly diminished.
Despite Obama's pleas to the contrary, upon al-Megrahi's arrival in Libya, the Lockerbie bomber was given a "hero's welcome" with Qaddafi a major player in the event. Obama's version of America no longer rates or receives respect from Libya or the rest of the world. Yet according to the liberal media, we are to be encouraged that those nations "like" this rendition of America much better than when it was a true world super power.
Qaddafi, once thoroughly defanged by the magnitude of western might, now aspires to take his place beside Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has clearly lost his fear of America's resolve or its capabilities to preserve and protect itself. As the Obama agenda rolls forward, expect more of the same contempt, with increasing ferocity, from other regional despots throughout the world.
© Chris Adamo
August 28, 2009
Once again, a dosage of reality is needed to properly assess the real effect that Barack Obama is having on America's standing among the nations of the world. And as usual, the truth is far less glowing than the liberal media enclave would have us believe.
Americans are incessantly told that those other nations are currently much happier with it and feel less threatened by it under the headship of an avowed leftist like Obama. While such an appraisal is quite believable, it does not follow that this translates into an elevated respect from those nations. In fact, the historical truth is completely to the contrary. America and its leaders ignore this to the imminent peril of the nation.
When all of the platitudes of burgeoning "international good will" are stripped away, nations ultimately function as competitors. Few cases of genuine international altruism exist, and the overwhelming majority of international relations are pursued by each nation from the perspective of its own best interests.
A fiscally and diplomatically weak but sustainable America poses the least risk of exerting influence on other nations, and is thus much more appealing to them than when it is strong and purposeful. Under the Obama Administration, America has lost significant sway with the rest of the world, which is just fine with every foreign entity that seeks to gain dominance and power. As long as the United States, with its rampant consumerism, can continue to enable the world's economic engine on terms dictated by the other nations, they can reap monetary benefits from it while ignoring and even deriding its values and interests.
However, this cycle cannot continue indefinitely. During every previous period in which the United States retreated into such a weak and vulnerable position, its enemies eventually recognized the moment as their opportunity to strike a blow against this nation. And that pattern is currently being repeated with disturbing predictability.
From the earliest days of Jimmy Carter's single 1977-1981 term as president, it became glaringly obvious that the criminally naive Georgia peanut farmer, despite having served as Governor, was completely lacking in the necessary moral and philosophical convictions or spine to stand against any foreign adversary. Carter backed down in the face of Soviet expansionism in Cuba and at one time or another had pandered to virtually every dictatorial regime on the planet.
As a result, Iran's Islamist "revolutionaries," spoiling for an opportunity to saber rattle in front of the world on the heels of their ouster of the Shah, were emboldened to attack the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November of 1979, holding its staff as hostages for well over a year and humiliating this nation for the impotence of its responses the entire time.
Likewise, though the 9-11 attacks were carried out in the early days of the George Bush Administration, plans for the event were formulated during the tenure of President Bill Clinton. And, as a telling precursor, bin Laden pulled off several smaller but escalating assaults throughout the 1990s. Clinton's deplorable and embarrassing conduct as Chief Executive, along with the dangerously reckless games he openly allowed cabinet appointees and their underlings to play with America's security, created a "window of opportunity" that enticed America's enemies to strike.
Now, with Barack Obama regularly displaying his contempt for real America, accompanied by his efforts to weaken its intelligence apparatus and its military, alarming signs of similar brewing storms are on display. The former rise and fall of Libyan ruler Muammur Qaddafi, and most significantly his current resurgence as one of America's most outspoken and active antagonists, are stunning examples that can not long be ignored by America and the West without eventually reaping dire consequences.
Once a raging anti-American terrorist leader and instigator, Qaddafi made no attempt to hide his support and involvement in several attacks against the West during the 1980s, such as the 1986 bombing of a German discotheque in which 220 people were killed, including two Americans. Yet Qaddafi lost much of his enthusiasm for those murderous exploits after Ronald Reagan authorized a massive air strike against the Libyan capitol of Tripoli, which yielded direct hits on Qaddafi's own residence.
In the wake of that event, the Libyan ruler generally retreated from the world scene, completely losing his previous zeal to wreak death and destruction through terrorist activity. Qaddafi's seeming regression into passivity appeared absolute on the heels of America's capture of Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein in late 2003. Shortly afterwards, Qaddafi brokered a deal with the Americans whereby he promised to abandon his program of developing a nuclear bomb in return for the promise of non-interference by the Americans.
Despite rampant media derision, the "Bush Doctrine" of categorizing other nations as either allies or enemies of America, had been a stunning success. But now it is being undone.
In response to Scotland's outrageous release of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber who in 1988 planted a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 killing 270 people, Barack Obama insipidly offered a statement of disagreement, and an admonition to Libya not to treat al-Megrahi's return to that country as a major event. But having eroded the status of America to that of a "paper tiger," Obama was apparently unaware that his own office would be similarly diminished.
Despite Obama's pleas to the contrary, upon al-Megrahi's arrival in Libya, the Lockerbie bomber was given a "hero's welcome" with Qaddafi a major player in the event. Obama's version of America no longer rates or receives respect from Libya or the rest of the world. Yet according to the liberal media, we are to be encouraged that those nations "like" this rendition of America much better than when it was a true world super power.
Qaddafi, once thoroughly defanged by the magnitude of western might, now aspires to take his place beside Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He has clearly lost his fear of America's resolve or its capabilities to preserve and protect itself. As the Obama agenda rolls forward, expect more of the same contempt, with increasing ferocity, from other regional despots throughout the world.
© Chris Adamo
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
