This morning’s BBC features this headline “Libya: US urges tough United Nations resolution.” One can only imagine the rueful reaction to that headline in Benghazi, where rebels wait while the forces of Muammar Gaddafi close in, or in Tripoli, where Gaddafi and his bloodthirsty supporters must be laughing at an international community that has done [...]
Posts Tagged ‘foreign policy’
The Power Of Words, And The Power Of Guns
Posted in America, World, tagged America, American Foreign Policy, foreign policy, Hugo Chavez, Iran, Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, Robert Mugabe, United Nations, World on March 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
A Region In Turmoil, And A Foreign Policy In The Balance
Posted in America, World, tagged America, American Foreign Policy, Egypt, Egyptian Protests, foreign policy, Hillary Clinton, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, President Obama, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, World, Yemen on February 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
A dictatorial government has been overthrown in Tunisia. Protests continue to rage in Egypt, causing long-time leader Hosni Mubarak to reshape his government and to declare that he will not seek “re-election.” Whether he can remain in power until September, as he plans, is anyone’s guess. Significant protests also have occurred in Jordan and Yemen. [...]
Why The Wikileaks Incident Matters
Posted in America, World, tagged America, Diplomacy, foreign policy, Julian Assange, United States State Department, Wikileaks, World on December 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I haven’t read all of the cables and reports that were part of the Wikileaks disclosures — has anyone? — but I don’t think you need to do so to recognize that the disclosures could easily have a devastating impact on the United States and its interests and actions abroad. Secrecy and discretion are crucial [...]
Maybe Now, Everyone Will Recognize Hugo Chavez Is A Jerk
Posted in America, World, tagged America, foreign policy, Hugo Chavez, President Bush, President Obama, United Nations, Venezuela, World on December 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
When Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez followed then-President Bush to the podium at the United Nations several years ago and said he still smelled the scent of sulfur, some American politicians and pundits who were opposed to Bush laughed, shook their heads, and said Chavez’s comments just reflected how the Bush Administration’s policies had reduced the [...]
Eyes On The Prize (Cont.)
Posted in America, Politics, World, tagged America, foreign policy, Nobel Peace Prize, Politics, President Bush, President Obama, World on December 9, 2009 | 1 Comment »
President Obama soon will be leaving for Norway to give his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. According to this article, Norwegians are upset because he has cancelled a number of the events traditionally attended by the Peace Prize winner, including a lunch with Norway’s King. I wonder if, perhaps, the President cancelled some of [...]
Not Another Brick In The Wall
Posted in America, World, tagged America, Berlin Wall, Cold War, Communism, foreign policy, President Bush, President Obama, Soviet Union, World on October 19, 2009 | 1 Comment »
November 9, 2009 will be the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That singular event — which led to the liberation of millions of people trapped in the communist dictatorships behind the Iron Curtain — is one of the most notable achievements of modern American foreign policy, ranking with the Marshall Plan [...]
The Chain Of Command
Posted in Politics, World, tagged Afghanistan, foreign policy, General McChrystal, Military, Politics, President Obama, Vice President Biden, World on October 18, 2009 | 1 Comment »
President Obama’s protracted consideration of a new Afghanistan strategy is a bit puzzling. Obviously, the decision on whether, and if so how, to fight overseas is a critical decision that you would expect would command the President’s careful attention. Nevertheless, it is odd that the President approved an Afghan strategy in March and now appears [...]
Eyes On The Prize
Posted in America, Politics, World, tagged Afghanistan, America, foreign policy, Nobel Peace Prize, Politics, President Bush, President Obama, World on October 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Congratulations to President Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m not sure that our humble blog can add much to what has already been said about this surprising announcement. Richard thinks it is a good thing to reward someone who has announced that his Administration will be different from the last in terms of [...]
Ouch
Posted in World, tagged Afghanistan, Charles Krauthammer, foreign policy, President Obama on October 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Charles Krauthammer’s withering column on the President’s consideration of policy in Afghanistan.
The Prospect Of A Nuclear Iran
Posted in America, World, tagged America, foreign policy, Iran, Israel, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Obama, World on September 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The recent disclosure about a new secret Iranian facility devoted to the Iranian nuclear program — one of several such facilities in Iran — significantly raises the stakes in our relations with that Islamic state. It seems clear that the President will focus, for the present, on getting international agreement to some form of new [...]
Another View From Abroad
Posted in America, World, tagged America, foreign policy, President Obama, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, World on September 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s an interesting perspective from Australia on the international perception of President Obama — complete with an entertaining reference to the “Fonzie” codicil to foreign policy. Regardless of whether this writer is correct or not in his assessment, it should be concerning that people overseas are writing openly about our President as weak or out [...]
Leaking Like A Sieve
Posted in Politics, World, tagged Afghanistan, foreign policy, Military, Politics, President Obama, Washington Post, World on September 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It is appalling that General McChrystal’s confidential report on conditions in Afghanistan for President Obama was immediately leaked to the Washington Post. Who was the leaker? Someone in the White House who thinks the war in Afghanistan is wrong and wants to exert pressure on the President to stop the fighting? Someone in the military [...]
Foreign Policy Blues
Posted in America, Politics, World, tagged America, Czech Republic, foreign policy, missile defense system, NATO, Poland, President Obama, Russia, World on September 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
There has been a lot of criticism from the right, and some other quarters, of President Obama’s recent decision to scrap elements of a missile defense system for Eastern Europe. The move has bitterly disappointed our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic, who were to host elements of the system and viewed it as [...]
