Hope and Change as foreign policy

I hate to keep writing about the stuff in the Ukraine, but it’s difficult not to do so, especially since I get to say “I told you so” so often. But, the Washington Post editorial board seems to have finally turned against the current administration on this event, I’m sure they’ll be kissing and making up soon, but allow me to enjoy the momentary schadenfreude for however long it lasts;

For five years, President Obama has led a foreign policy based more on how he thinks the world should operate than on reality. It was a world in which “the tide of war is receding” and the United States could, without much risk, radically reduce the size of its armed forces. Other leaders, in this vision, would behave rationally and in the interest of their people and the world. Invasions, brute force, great-power games and shifting alliances — these were things of the past.

Secretary of State John F. Kerry displayed this mindset on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday when he said, of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, “It’s a 19th century act in the 21st century.”

That’s a nice thought, and we all know what he means. A country’s standing is no longer measured in throw-weight or battalions. The world is too interconnected to break into blocs. A small country that plugs into cyberspace can deliver more prosperity to its people (think Singapore or Estonia) than a giant with natural resources and standing armies.

Unfortunately, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not received the memo on 21st-century behavior.

Neither have the Iranians, al Qaeda, North Koreans, Syrians, Chinese, al Shabbab, Filipino Moros, Haqani network, etc…. So who is really out of touch here? We have the recent example of Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait, another example of the early 20th century land-grabbing bullshit. And guess what, Hussein called it “annexing” Iraq’s 19th Province. And it happened as we were trying to drawdown from the Cold War, like we’re trying to drawdown from the war against terror now. So who is being naive here, the Russians who act like they’re in the 20th century, or Obama who thinks that when the calender rolls over, so does our defense policy?

The fact remains that are evil people in the world who intend harm to others. it doesn’t always affect us directly, like the 9/11 attack, but by the US being weaker, the world becomes less safe. yeah, it’s not our job to police the world, but no one else seems to be doing it. And certainly, the Russians taking over the Crimea won’t affect my paycheck, but it makes my paycheck less safe depending on how this administration reacts to the Russians. The US stock markets are selling off today because this weekend’s news. That affects me.

Fox News writes that no one in the Obama Administration should have been surprised by last week’s events;

But Republicans nevertheless are blaming Obama in part for Putin’s aggression, pointing to a series of steps, or missteps, over the last five years.

Rogers said the first was the controversial 2009 decision to abandon a missile-defense agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic. The administration argued at the time that it no longer needed the infrastructure to counter Iran and could make do by upgrading existing interceptors.

But Russia was watching.

“It caused huge problems for our allies and emboldened the Russians,” Rogers said. “And it really has been a downhill slide.”

In the pages of the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer writes;

The E.U. dithers and Barack Obama slumbers. After near- total silence during the first three months of Ukraine’s struggle for freedom, Obama said on camera last week that in his view Ukraine is no “Cold War chessboard.”

Unfortunately, this is exactly what it is for Putin. He wants Ukraine back.

Obama wants stability, the New York Times reports, quoting internal sources. He sees Ukraine as merely a crisis to be managed rather than an opportunity to alter the increasingly autocratic trajectory of the region, allow Ukrainians to join their destiny to the West and block Russian neo-imperialism.

Because, you know, this administration is so good at “managing crises”, evidenced by the long list of successes, both domestic and foreign policy-wise in the last five years. I can’t even count them on finger.

By the way, according to yet another Washington Post link, the Ukraine isn’t going to sit idly by as they are overrun;

Ukraine’s new prime minister said the bold and provocative Russian troop movements in Crimea in recent days amounted to a “declaration of war to my country.” Ukrainian officials sounded a mobilization order Sunday for army reservists to report for duty immediately.

Added late-breaking news; Russians have demanded that two Ukrainian ships surrender or risk being attacked, according to the Associated Press.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Foreign Policy