President Obama promises to become the most emotional US President in any century. It’s a big world out there and he is in trouble in most of it. We can only hope he has emotions in reserve.
Mexico: The Mexican Cartel now runs freely about both sides of the Texas border. Witness their brazen murder of 4 persons (3 of them us citizens) in Ciudad Juárez. [Financial Times] “This saddened and outraged” our President but what kind of serious attention has he paid this crisis? There are drones in Arizona covering the border – you know the state where our DHS head was formerly governor? But the Governor of Texas has pleaded for drones. [CNN on air 15 March]
Israel: Obama’s displeasure has been funneled through the State Department spokespeople including Secretary of State Clinton in true “proximity” fashion. Back in 2009, however, before the UN, Obama boldly stated: “America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.” [FOX News] With his Egyptian speech reaching out to the Muslim world and this speech, Israel was already waiting for the other shoe to drop.
China: Is the Politiburo smoking weed? That’s the question the Telegraph asked having cataloged a series of Chinese accusations (e.g. the US is guilty of “serial villainy”) and rants against the US covering a legion of areas that signal that the relationship with our major lender are about to reach a full-blown crisis state. The primary complaint: we can’t tell them how to value their currency. Our Treasury has it’s pistol cocked ready to release sanctions required by law if China does not cease and desist from currency manipulation. Regardless, the US does have trade leverage. But beware, China has older fish to fry. Historically we humiliated them in the 19th century. Another part of the world that doesn’t forget, alas.
UK: We are joined at the hip in our financial fate. Our two nations are on the brink of loosing their triple A status. But beyond this, this is another “ally” we have not uniformly supported in the days of the Obama Administration. In 2009, unaware that Britain had joined us in Iraq largely because of our special relationship, Obama made it know that Britain would need to accept the fact that there would be multiple special relationships. [Telegraph]
Turkey: House Democrats pushed a Foreign Affairs Committee vote to declare that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 constituted genocide. And the Administration? Clearly it was caught in the headlights. Yet another example of Obama’s inability to maintain some kind of control over his party on the Hill. The motion did not live beyond the Committee. But here is an assessment of Turkey that illustrates just what was at stake for us:
In the past few years, Turkey has taken on a new and assertive role in the Middle East and beyond. Turkey can go places, talk to factions, and make deals that the US cannot. Yet it remains fundamentally aligned with western values and strategic goals. No other country is better equipped to help the US navigate through the region’s treacherous deserts, steppes and mountains.[Guardian]
Recent failure in South America to garner support for stronger sanctions against Iran simply add to the loosing foreign policy of the Obama Administration. Obama is busy betting the farm on health care reform and if he pulls it off, he will be a hero to many in the US. But the waters outside our borders are becoming increasingly shark infested and one can only hope there is not a big price to pay for his personal neglect of world affairs.
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HotAir – NYT’s great moment in objective journalism
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ON MY WATCH - the writings of SamHenry 
March 16th, 2010 → 6:06 pm
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