The president has tried to stick to the path he laid out — withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan; trying to sign every treaty in sight; scoping down the war on terror; and putting a happy face on every contentious bilateral relationship. Where forced to lead, he has chosen, in the words of one of his advisers, to lead from behind. His doctrine has failed on every front. The Russian relationship is underwater. Libya is a disaster, ditto Iraq. The Taliban is just waiting for NATO to leave. Al Qaeda is back in the game. China claims sovereignty over any island where anyone has dug up a shard of Ming pottery. North Korea is as petulant as ever. Iran is more, not less, aggressive. In appointing Susan Rice as national-security adviser, the president signaled that he has no plans for a course correction in foreign policy. America is going to get more of the same. Rice fits comfortably in the president’s proud tower. And so the United States will continue to engage in half-hearted, feel-good interventions. Rice, along with Secretary of State John Kerry and Samantha Power (slated to become the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations) are passionate proponents of the norm known as “Responsibility to Protect.” R2P holds that the “international community” - ie the US - is obligated to intervene to prevent genocide and other atrocities [and yet the US must also be humble and less powerful]. President Obama is committed to downsizing U.S. military capabilities. Along with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Rice believes that soft and hard power are fungible: a little foreign aid and diplomacy can be swapped out for an aircraft carrier or a fighter wing. If you worry that a violent storm has been gathering while the president, in his lookout tower, has stared fixedly in the opposite direction, you have much to worry about as Rice takes up her spot in the West Wing. nationalinterest.org/commentary/rice-fits-obamas-proud-tower-8563?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Heritage%2BHotsheet
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:07:01 +0000
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