During the 2008 Presidential campaign we were told by Barack Obama that many of our foreign policy problems were our own doing. Anti-Americanism? The result of us (or more specifically George W. Bush) being too heavy-handed. Iran and Venezuela? Exaggerated threats. Conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere? Problems that could be fixed by superior intellect and honesty. These were the pillars of what you might call the Obama Doctrine.
And what do the recently revealed WikiLeaks docs show us? First, that our allies in the Persian Gulf region are scared out of their wits by Iran. Obama, who opened the door to the idea of unconditional talks with Iran and has pushed the idea that the Iranian threat is not so great, now faces the reality of seeing virtually all the countries in the region sounding alarm bells about the possibility of a Mullah Bomb. And guess what? There is an Axis of Evil of sorts: countries like North Korea and Iran are really cooperating in their nuclear efforts. Second, WikiLeaks shows that Russia is essentially a mafia state, governed by an “alpha male” who also increasingly appears to be a meglamaniac. There is less commonality on security issues than Obama led us to believe. Finally, the WikiLeaks docs demonstrate that Venezuela is increasingly under Cuba’s control and a threat to other countries in the region.
Reality check for the President: terrorist groups and certain dictators really hate us, they really do, it’s not just a misunderstanding; making yourself inoffensive to others does not increase your security. And there are persistent problems that no amount of sincerity can fix.
Perhaps Barack Obama should read through the WikiLeaks cables himself. He might learn to see the world in a more realistic manner.
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