When it comes to foreign policy, the Obama Doctrine seems to be guided by one theme- failure.
President Obama’s hemorrhaging foreign policy is creating an increasingly embarrassing mess at the United Nations. A four-week session of the U.N.’s top human rights body, the Human Rights Council, ended in Geneva on March 28, 2014, with a series of humiliating defeats for the president’s calling card of indiscriminate engagement.
Joining, and legitimizing, a U.N. Human Rights Council with no human rights conditions for membership was one of President Obama’s first foreign policy moves. Hence, the United States was elected to the Council in 2009, re-elected in 2013, and currently sits alongside such human rights luminaries as Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.
This session took place against the backdrop of Russia’s aggressive takeover of parts of a sovereign country, in gross violation of the human rights of Ukrainians. And yet the Council itself couldn’t manage a peep.
A U.S.-backed resolution at the U.N. General Assembly adopted on March 27, 2014, criticized Russia, but failed to take what would have been the truly isolating step of removing Russia from the Council.
So what did the Council do while it was in session?
For the first time, the Council adopted a resolution on “remotely piloted aircraft or drones” – including those which are unarmed. Creatively, the resolution “expresses concern” that such aircraft “undermine religious and cultural practices,” thus transforming perpetrators into victims.
The Obama administration overwhelmingly lost the vote on this resolution, 27 in favor to 6 against.
The European Union was split, with Germany insulting President Obama by merely abstaining.
Under Obama, the United States has suffered some real reputational damage. I say that as someone who sympathizes with many of Obama’s foreign policy goals. This damage, unfortunately, has largely been self-inflicted by an administration that focuses too much on short-term messaging. At key turning points — in Egypt and Libya during the Arab Spring, in Syria, in Ukraine and, yes, in Benghazi — the administration was driven by messaging priorities rather than sound, interests-based policy.
SECOND terms are often a time when presidents, balked by domestic opposition, turn to the world stage to secure their legacy — opening doors to China, closing out the Cold War, chasing Middle Eastern peace.
But the global stage hasn’t been a second-term refuge for President Obama; it’s been an arena of setbacks, crises and defeats. His foreign policy looked modestly successful when he was running for re-election. Now it stinks of failure.
We can toss another failure shrimp on the Barbie.
September 12, 2012:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTwGq6wQ2GY[/youtube]
November 14, 2012
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRxW6DrfmRU[/youtube]
March 20, 2013
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipf9rAJzJ80[/youtube]
Critics of the president’s feeble Iran policy have known all along this was coming. If the report in the New York Times is accurate, the president is about to countenance a nuclear-armed Iran. The administration doesn’t put it that way, and the Times is compliant enough not to mention it directly, but that is precisely what is entailed: “On the eve of a new round of talks between world powers and Iran, a senior Obama administration official said Wednesday that the United States was prepared to offer Iran limited relief from economic sanctions if Tehran agreed to halt its nuclear program and reversed part of it.” The planned “relief” is to last six months, much longer than some experts believe is needed for Iran to go nuclear.
So the Iranians, if Obama gets his way, will have achieved what they want — relief from sanctions and months to complete what some experts say will take only weeks: the achievement of a nuclear weapons capability. The Times buried the lede, but did allow, “Time is of the essence, nuclear experts have said, because Iran’s nuclear program has advanced to the point where it could quickly produce enough enriched material for a nuclear device.” A conservative foreign policy expert who has warned against the impending nuclear breakout by Iran retorted, “So the Obama administration is conspiring with Tehran to stop Congress from imposing sanctions on Iran.”
The Iranians have learned something in the last six years:
All Barack Obama statements come with an expiration date. All of them.
Things don’t look much better for the next two years:
The New York Times editorial board, often supportive of the White House, wrote that his address “did not match the hype, was largely uninspiring, lacked strategic sweep and is unlikely to quiet his detractors, on the right or the left.”
Obama “provided little new insight into how he plans to lead in the next two years,” the Times wrote, “and many still doubt that he fully appreciates the leverage the United States has even in a changing world.”
The Times also continued its criticism of Obama on transparency on targeted killings and intelligence, saying his call for more transparency was “ludicrous” given the administration’s unwillingness to give “even minimal disclosures.”
The potential damage Obama can do to this country in the next two years is frightening.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
This is the new United States. Impotent, irrelevant, guilty. Fundamentally transformed. Supporter of militant Islam. Negotiator with terrorists. Enemy of American patriots. Supporter of every wacko liberal dream from ethanol to global warming. Staffed by ignorant teenagers.
The great mystery: no jobs for blacks, but blacks love him.
No jobs for Union members, but Union members love him.
He began by apologizing for US. He now has another six years for which to apologize.
He is the greatest poseur and impostor ever.
Now how did we lose by so much?
Let’s look at the current membership of this Council:
Algeria (2016) 99% Muslim
Benin (2014) 25% Muslim
Botswana (2014) Dependent on diamond sales, 2nd highest rate of AIDS on earth
Burkina Faso (2014) 66% Muslim
Congo (2014) Sex Trafficking
Côte d’Ivoire (2015) 40% Muslim
Ethiopia (2015) 35% Muslim
Gabon (2015) Oil dependent, anti-colonial
Kenya (2015) 12% Muslim, 4th highest rate of AIDS
Morocco (2016) 99% Muslim
Namibia (2016) High disease rate, high rate AIDS
Sierra Leone (2015) 60% Muslim
South Africa (2016) #1 AIDS on earth
China (2016) It’s China
India (2014) 14% Muslim
Indonesia (2014) 88% Muslim
Japan (2015) Where’s our support?
Kazakhstan (2015) 70% Muslim
Kuwait (2014) 100% Muslim
Maldives (2016) 100% Muslim
Pakistan (2015) 97% Muslim
Philippines (2014) civil war against Moro Islamic Liberation Frontand the Abu Sayyaf Group (Muslims)
Republic of Korea (2015) N or S? Both call themselves that.
Saudi Arabia (2016) 100% Muslim
United Arab Emirates (2015) 91% Muslim
Viet Nam (2016) Capital, Hanoi
Czech Republic (2014) Ready to be mowed down by Putin
Estonia (2015) Ready to be mowed down by Putin
Montenegro (2015) Ready to be mowed down by Putin
Romania (2014) Ready to be mowed down by Putin
Russian Federation (2016) Putin
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (2016) Obama insulted
Argentina (2015) Still seeking the Falkland Isles
Brazil (2015)
Chile (2014)
Costa Rica (2014)
Cuba (2016) Heh
Mexico (2016) Heh heh
Peru (2014)
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (2015)
Austria (2014)
France (2016)
Germany (2015) Abstained
Ireland (2015)
Italy (2014)
United Kingdom of Great Britain
Ireland (2016)
United States of America (2015)
Nanny G
very telling,
thank you for the work you put in
Allowing Iran to go ahead with its nuclear program assures a strike upon Iran by Israel (they’ve been through one Holocaust, I predict they will not willingly endure another) and then all hell will break loose in that entire region.
I guess this means it is us that oppose Obama ruining the country and the world that desire war?
@Bill:
Good point.
Jay Leno has officially retired but he’s right on target on this subject.
He said:
“Obama has declared the month of May Jewish American Heritage Month. He is calling it an opportunity to renew our ‘unbreakable bond with the nation of Israel. And he knows it’s unbreakable because he’s been trying to break it for the last five years.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/jay-leno-barack-obama-john-kerry-israel-107025.html#ixzz34AZ37UTl
obama couldnt get himself out of a cobweb let alone get support from other countrys !
MR JONES
yes, HE THOUGHT HE HAD THE BROTHERHOOD IN HIS POCKET FROM THE START,
ENOUGH TO TELL LEADERS TO RESIGN, THAT WAS HIS DOWN FALL<
HERE NOW HE HAS MANY IMPEACHMENTS ON HIS HEAD,
JUST LIKE HE DID TO OTHER, IT COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM,
bye
Oh, what a surprise! Think they might have been lunatic wingnuts believing the lies spewed by the right?
Las Vegas ‘revolution’ shooters ID’d as right-wing conspiracy nuts with a deathwish
http://www.rawstory.com/…/las-vegas-shooters-idd-as…/
There’s only 3 ways a war ends between the USA and the Taliban.
1. we reach a peace accord with the Taliban;
2 the Taliban surrenders; or
3 the United States surrenders.
Obama said he gave back 5 top level Taliban commanders because the war is ending.
But we have not reached any peace accord with the Taliban.
And the Taliban has increased its fighting, certainly not surrendering.
So, has Obama surrendered the US to the Taliban?
This indicates he is doing just that:
“The AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) is now nearly 12 years old. The Afghan war is coming to an end. . . . Unless we discipline our thinking, our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don’t need to fight or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states.” Therefore the time has come “to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate.”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/23/remarks-president-national-defense-university
Pollyanna (I mean JFKerry) is claiming the very idea that these commanders will re-enter the jihad for world domination is ”baloney.” Why? Because of fear they would be killed! What an ignoramus! Dying in the holy cause of jihad is what jihadis hope for!
@This one: Though I’m sure you are elated to finally have a shooting that is not perpetrated by a left wing zealot, what ” lies spewed by the right” are you imagining and what place does the topic have here?
Obama has inflamed and keeps whipped up the topic of race; if anyone’s rhetoric is responsible for far right zealots killing in the name of race, it would be your tribe.