hi clo,
obama has control over foreign policy. no excuses there.
you don't get america out of war by ignoring risks.
the us makes much about european appeasement in the late 1930s, but the us refusal to engage in ww2 from the beginning brought the war to the us' doorstep. pearl harbor is remembered as much for the casual attitude of the us to a global war as "a day that will live in infamy". the us was asleep at the wheel. both germany and japan had to go to war with the us before it realised the nature of the threat they posed. had fdr made it clear to hitler in 1939 that the us would side with poland, how much bloodshed might have been avoided?
the policy of maintaining peace through strength and via a global network of alliances worked pretty well over the intervening years. for everyone.
yes, bush made horrific errors. but hunkering down inside the usa is just as mistaken. when savage extremism emerges, you have to oppose it.
indeed, bush made a sensible move by engaging in afghanistan. he had the whole world's support at that point. the foolishness was to invade iraq for its oil.
i understand that obama wants certain countries to bear more of the burden. this may be a sensible long run plan which gradually leads to change. but you can't allow the bullying and extremist types to emerge while you are seeking such a change. otherwise you don't get the graduallism you intend either.
putin will keep on with his soviet project until he realises the costs outweigh the opportunity. he must get a bloodied nose in ukraine to discover this.
obama is making the same sort of mistakes as fdr before us engagement in ww2. he is being fastidious, as ever. and the world needs someone willing to get their hands dirty in order to sort out its problems.
a far better model than fdr is bush senior. he ran a respectable foreign policy, without being aggressive. it wasn't perfect,of course. but he drew nations together with a common purpose against bullying. and once he proved the point, folks knew there was a line they couldn't cross.
not so with obama.
the bad actors are coming in our direction. don't be surprised if we don't engage them over there that we have to engage them at home.
the commonwealth has supported the us in policing the globe. i am sure it would do so in a heartbeat if obama wakes up.
| 
