Obama’s ‘internationalist’ approach has failed
Daniel Henninger at The Wall Street Journal writes a harsh obituary for the internationalist school of dealing with foreign crises. Time and place of death: March 2011, Libya:
Not the 28 members of NATO, not the 15-member U.N. Security Council, not the 22 nations of the Arab League could save Libya’s rebels from being obliterated by the mad and murderous Moammar Gadhafi. The world has just watched the collapse of internationalism.
The world’s self-professed keepers of international order, from Brussels to Turtle Bay, huffed and puffed, talked and threatened. And they failed. Utterly.
But what we’ve watched is not merely the failure of the gauzy notion of “internationalism.” It’s more specific than that. What has collapsed here is the modern Democratic Party’s new foreign-policy establishment.
Barack Obama is the first Democratic president to assemble a foreign-policy team made up entirely of intellectuals who for years have developed a counter-thesis to the policies of presidents extending back to John F. Kennedy. We are in a “post-American world,” they have argued, in which the U.S. is obliged to pursue its interests in concert with the rest of the world’s powers, never alone.
The uprisings against autocracies in 10 separate Middle Eastern countries, a crisis inherited from no one, was their real-world test. In Egypt, they fumbled. In Libya, they have failed.
The poster boy for this internationalist view is White House deputy Ben Rhodes, who told a reporter last week: “This is the Obama conception of the U.S. role in the world — to work through multilateral organizations and bilateral relationships to make sure that the steps we are taking are amplified.”
Days later, bemused Libyan rebel spokesman Essam Gheriani remarked in Benghazi: “Everyone here is puzzled as to how many casualties the international community judges to be enough for them to help. Maybe we should start committing suicide to reach the required number.”
The piece is for subscribers only, but the rest of it is well worth reading if you can access it.
There are no simple alternatives to President Obama’s approach — one can hardly call it a strategy — with Libya. A no-fly zone would not have been without some risk, although it’s hard to imagine that the Libyan air force could really mount a threat that would greatly outweigh the benefits such action would have brought the rebels.
But the point today is not so much that Obama took one action when he should have taken another; it’s a little late for that. It’s more about whether Obama’s alternative model for dealing with these crises works. As Henninger so starkly explains, it hasn’t.
And Libya is not the first failure. In the first Gulf War, in Bosnia and Kosovo, and in Afghanistan — the supposed “good” wars — the “international community” only stepped forward when America led. Henninger calls Libya the “first test” of the model when America doesn’t eventually step forward, but I’d disagree. In Darfur and in Congo, to name two places, we went along with the internationalist approach — while hundreds of thousands of people died.
This is not a plea for Team America: World Police, with U.S. soldiers going hither and yon every time some tinpot dictator gets cranky or worse. We have every right to expect our allies to commit and contribute along with us if they are going to lecture the world (and us) about peace and human rights. But evidently we cannot reasonably expect them to do so when we are noncommittal — if “noncommittal” is what you can really call it when the U.S. president says repeatedly that the leader of another country must step down and then does nothing of consequence to follow through.
As Henninger explains,
what we have seen [with Libya] is that a world in which the U.S. doesn’t unmistakably lead is a world that spins its wheels, and eventually the wheels start to come off. When the U.S. instructs the Saudis not to intervene in Bahrain, and the Saudi army does precisely the opposite, the wheels are coming off the international order.
America has been leading unmistakably for the better part of a century now. If you think we can’t afford the price of doing so anymore, whether in blood or treasure, fine. But no responsible leader, on his way out, can pretend that things will run smoothly on their own after he leaves. And no responsible leader drops the reins and merely hopes someone else will pick them up.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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200 comments Add your comment
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
2:01 pm
Better yet, Terd, tell us what YOU are prepared to do to fix the mess you’re so anxious to create— Besides sitting in your hidey-hole and bashing Obama. Slapping a yellow ribbon on your SUV doesn’t get the job done either.
Terd Fergesun
March 17th, 2011
2:02 pm
Junior Samples
March 17th, 2011
1:55 pm
So “less government” is immune our oil supply?
Let’s face the facts, we do not care about Libya in a human rights aspect. It’s only their oil we want. Stop kidding yourselves. The rest of the world is waiting for us to jump in and sacrifice our soldiers instead of theirs.
Since Nixon, EVERY President has stated we need to reduce and/or remove our dependancy of foreign oil.
How about we start now?
OK Junior, then you must be for drilling in our own backyard?
Road Scholar
March 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
How would we pay for it? Will conservatives, esp Rush, Boortz, and Hannity not only pay for it from their bloated salaries, but lead the charge into Libya?
Or is it the conservative’s idea of a jobs program?
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:03 pm
What is the logic in intervening in Libya Terd? You keep trying to deflect away from the subject. Try that on somebody else.
MiltonMan
March 17th, 2011
2:04 pm
Just about any piece written about Obozo can use any interation of the word “fail”
Terd Fergesun
March 17th, 2011
2:04 pm
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
2:01 pm
Better yet, Terd, tell us what YOU are prepared to do to fix the mess you’re so anxious to create— Besides sitting in your hidey-hole and bashing Obama. Slapping a yellow ribbon on your SUV doesn’t get the job done either.
Real simple girl, you end this in 2 weeks by doing a no fly zone like the FRENCH want to do and start helping the rebels. You force the dictator out by helping and aiding the rebels. Lybia is no Iraq military and is very small. By the way, I do not have an SUV and I do not have a yellow ribbon on a car. Thanks for caring.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
2:05 pm
MC – I’m all for not repeating the mistakes of the past. I’m just tired of hearing liberals act like only Republicans have made mistakes. We have to study history and learn from it. Look at the countries that seem to have all the things liberals want this country to have and tell me if they are better off.
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:06 pm
Maybe common sense dictates that at this point in time we don’t get ourselves into another war we can’t win and that will cost tons of money Terd.
Terd Fergesun
March 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
You intervene because it is the right thing to do for mankind. I know that is a tough concept to wrap around your little liberal mind. Most issues that have a correct answer or response do that to liberals. Come on now, I have faith in you MC. Not really but, it felt like the right thing to say.
joe
March 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
Couple that with his failed domestic policy, using legislation and liberal court appointees in trying to turn the USA into France or Greece (socialism-entitlements-spread the wealth around), you end up with one huge disaster in the white house. God help us…
MiltonMan
March 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
Obozo praises the Egyptian protestors as peaceful – the same “peaceful” people who ended up beating journalists & Christians
Obozo criticizes American Tea Party members as being un-patriotic & racists.
Obozo does absolutley nothing in regards to Libya.
This clown needs to make a guest appearance on the Dr. Phil show.
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:08 pm
Johnson made a big one Good Grief. Unfortunately a very big mistake has been made by the last administration. I would say the same if a Dem screwed it up like that. But I get the feeling some of you want Obama to jump and screw this up so he has something in common with the last crew.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
2:08 pm
“How would we pay for it? Will conservatives, esp Rush, Boortz, and Hannity not only pay for it from their bloated salaries, but lead the charge into Libya?
Or is it the conservative’s idea of a jobs program?”
***
You mean like the “shovel-ready” programs Obama talked up? Or like the practice of hiring a census worker, firing that person, hiring them back in the same position, firing them again, hiring them once more, and calling it three jobs created? Or what about the bloated salaries of a select group of 535 people in Washington DC who don’t seem to give a rat’s a** about their constituents and the desires of the people but are more concerned with being re-elected.
BW
March 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
Kyle
Wow….I do wonder what our response we would have mounted if most of our armed forces weren’t bottled up in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why do you pretend this has nothing to do with being “noncommittal”? This is a post America world because we are in these boondoogles with not much light at the end of the tunnel in one of them. If Europe can’t get off their collective asses when a country that provides 10% of their oil tries to free itself of a madman, then in my opinion it’s just a reflection of that old phrase…better the devil we know than the one we don’t. I don’t see any calls out of you regarding the Saudi Arabian or Bahrain governments autocratic rule….make no mistake one day their people will yearn for freedom and make a move…I wonder what you will say then?
Terd Fergesun
March 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:06 pm
Maybe common sense dictates that at this point in time we don’t get ourselves into another war we can’t win and that will cost tons of money Terd.
Do you know anything about the lybian military or are you just clueless like our President with world affairs? I mean good God, you make them sound like the Chinese army. Did you see them firing rockets off the back of pick ups? And no, that was not the rebels that was some of his military might.
MiltonMan
March 17th, 2011
2:09 pm
Good the see the Demorats like Ellison crying like a little girl because his peace-loving religion is being investigated.
How about the peace loving Demorats in DC shooting up a republican candidates office windows???
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
2:10 pm
Oh, so you’re volunteering to go fly over Libya. Terd? Have at it. What are you waiting for? If it’s only going to take you two weeks to clear all this up, you can do it on vacation time.
We helped rebels in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Afghanistan, just to name a few places. How’d that work out? Did we install friendly, stable, free governments in two weeks?
It’s only simple in your mind, Terd. For good reason.
BW
March 17th, 2011
2:11 pm
Good Grief
Good deflection from the question of how we’re going to pay for this let alone divert battle groups from Iraq and Afghanistan….I do believe that Mullen said there’s no good way to prosecute a war on three fronts in regards to invading Iran….but make no mistake ground forces will be required in Libya if it comes to forcing Gadhafi out.
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:12 pm
If that were the case Terd we should have gotten involved in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. Show me when any war has ever been fought for humanitarian reasons Terd? Furthermore is it humane to send more kids to die for a rather murky cause. Do you have kids you’ll rush down to the recruiting station to take part in this “humanitarian” activity?
MiltonMan
March 17th, 2011
2:12 pm
Obozo: I can’t handle what is happening in Japan, Libya, Afghanistan & Iraq (even though I said I would have the troops out by now), unemployment over 8%, gas prices, etc., etc.
Hillary: I quit (in 2012)
Obozo: I am taking a vacation to Brazil.
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:14 pm
Uh Terd….I hate to break this to you but that was the rebels firing from the backs of pickup trucks. Damn Terd!
BW
March 17th, 2011
2:19 pm
Milton Man
Offer a cogent argument to the topic not Democrat bashing….it dumbs down the conversation. If you have a problem with the current President….first Tuesday in November next year buddy
Devil's Advocate
March 17th, 2011
2:28 pm
Since when does an action in the best interest of mankind blindly merritt our resources? Isn’t nationalized healthcare and redistribution of wealth technically in the best interest of mankind? Back to the topic though, if the situation in Libya (and many other countries) is so bad, why wait until there is an uprising to get involved? Why aren’t we moving from county-to-county removing all dictators? Wouldn’t that be in the best interest of mankind?
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 17th, 2011
2:35 pm
You could have taken the oldest most ragged out F15 Eagle in the US Air Force and sent it over there by itself, with one tank of fuel and no ammo, as soon as it crossed the border the Libyan “air force” would have hauled ass straight to Iragahead, er, I mean Iran.
Unless you’re yellow sissy like obozo.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 17th, 2011
2:37 pm
Nero fiddles, just sayin…
BW
March 17th, 2011
2:38 pm
I Report….dude you’re something else
ActiveDutyColonel
March 17th, 2011
2:42 pm
I will be deploying to Afghanistan for the 4th time next week and I would just like to say to Terd that I have written over 100 letters of condolence to the families of my SOF soldiers that have been killed by guys in SUVs, Jeeps, and yes, riding horses. To the Terds of the world all I have to say to you is thank God Almighty that idiots like you don’t dictate US foreign policy.
JF McNamara
March 17th, 2011
2:44 pm
Hey Terd,
Obama is fixing my problems. He fixed my tumbling economy. He helped my 401K come back. He stopped the madness in Iraq. He had to fix all of that because of the complete and utter failure of the Republican President before him. If he wants to go play golf and go to concerts, that’s fine with me. My life is a lot better now than when he took over.
I don’t care about Libya just like you probably didn’t care about Sudan or Rwanda. When did Republicans become the party of save the world? If it turns out bad for them then I don’t care. Its not like Khadafi was ideal.
ActiveDutyColonel
March 17th, 2011
2:47 pm
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin…
You could have taken the oldest most ragged out F15 Eagle in the US Air Force and sent it over there by itself, with one tank of fuel and no ammo, as soon as it crossed the border the Libyan “air force” would have hauled ass straight to Iragahead, er, I mean Iran.
Just like they did in Somalia? Just like they are doing in Afghanistan? Just like the Viet Cong? If it’s so easy maybe you should go do the job Whine.
ActiveDutyColonel
March 17th, 2011
2:48 pm
And take Terd with you.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
2:48 pm
BW – Sorry that came out as a deflection. I guess that again falls under the double standard where it is okay to criticize conservatives, but thou shalt not criticize liberals. As I’ve said earlier, I don’t think it is our job to police the world. But the UN, you know, that group that the world seems to look to for leadership, is completely inept. The likely UN solution would be to issue a few spineless resolutions, and then wait for Libya to comply. When it becomes apparent that Libya will not comply, the UN might send in a group of inspectors. And maybe by 2027 some nation will step up.
When it comes to us paying for it, we’re in too big a hole as it is. The Weekly Standard has written that if “national defense, interstate highways, national parks, homeland security, and all other discretionary programs somehow became absolutely free, we’d still have a budget deficit.” How true that is would require more research on my part, but I don’t doubt it.
HDB
March 17th, 2011
2:50 pm
ActiveDutyColonel
March 17th, 2011
2:47 pm
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!! (BIG SALUTE!)
MC
March 17th, 2011
2:51 pm
What should he do about Japan Milton Man? Impress us. We’re waiting.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
2:52 pm
JF – How exactly did Obama fix your tumbling economy? How did he fix your 401(k)? Did he waive a magic wand and make it better?
Again, you would think that the world was a magical fairy dust utopia under Clinton and then Bush walked in and sent the whole planet straight to hell. Everyone wants to blame Bush for the mess Obama has, but no one wants to lay blame on Clinton for the brewing mess that he handed over to Bush. Also, I don’t recall Clinton having to deal with 3000 murdered Americans less than a year into office.
Gm
March 17th, 2011
2:56 pm
MiltonMan: Send backwood idiots like you over to libya and fight, we lost 4500 American troops under Bush, with this cowboy mentality.
Unemployement in several states are under 6%, blame idiots backwood georgians like yourself for voting for these idiots Rep in this state for the last 8 plus years.
I bet those Rep in Ws, who will be in the unemployement line soon are not happy with their choice back in Nov, it will take something like that for the backwoods faithful georgia people to stop voting agianst their interest.
HDB
March 17th, 2011
2:57 pm
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
2:52 pm
The REAL problem is that no one wants to place blame on the 43 men who occupied the Oval Office PRIOR to President Obama for where we are as a nation!! Blame can be spread between BOTH parties…..but the more recent occurrances can be laid at the feet of the GOP!
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
3:01 pm
The moment a real soldier shows up, the Terds and Whines soil themselves and run off crying. The little toy soldiers they play with never talk back to them.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
3:03 pm
Amen, HDB. Every President and the entirety of Congress should shoulder the blame. Sadly, as a nation, we’ve come down to what is essentially a one-hour attention span. If CSI can solve a crime in an hour then the government should be able to fix our problems that quickly. It just doesn’t work that way.
TnGelding
March 17th, 2011
3:03 pm
Let’s wait and see how this plays out. Some times it’s better to procrastinate. It is tragic that so many had to die, but like they like to say here as we sacrifice blood and treasure worldwide, freedom isn’t free.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 17th, 2011
3:04 pm
Just like they did in Somalia? Just like they are doing in Afghanistan?
How many Somalians or Afraghistans have you seen in the air?
Those are no fly zones that imposed themselves in the seventh century, just sayin…
No US effort necessary.
@@
March 17th, 2011
3:05 pm
MC:
The point is to not become involved until we know who and what we are dealing with when this all washes out.
With whom do you think Hillary’s been meeting.
You don’t trust Hillary? To be honest with you, I trust her experience more than I trust Obama’s inexperience.
Ragnar:
‘Ya made me blush, buddy. I was gonna hit ‘ya back with one that’d make you blush but thought better of it. It’s tempting though.
Think Australia and fire.
(IW&SH)
BW
March 17th, 2011
3:10 pm
Good Grief
Leaving the blame behind and strictly speaking on the topic….the larger problem is the American public and especially the American press Kyle Wingfield included seem to think that American exceptionalism means that when we speak the world should tremble beneath our words and adhere to them just because we say so. I suppose when you look at our recent history say the last 50 to 75 years then sure that’s a justifiable opinion….I mean Ronald Reagan brought down the Soviet Union by sheer will no internal issues whatsoever. I have a problem with bumper sticker slogans and the dumbing down of the complexity of military actions. The UN is toothless for a good reason….it was designed that way…not alot of difference between them and the League of Nations except America is playing a part and India and China were not the force that they are today. There are too many agendas at play for the UN to truly be effective but those agendas center around energy and trade. As long as those economic issues are present count out the rest of the world. Which brings me to another point….why are we outraged at Gadhafi now? He’s been at this since the 1980’s when he and his government actively sponspored terrorism….did they really change or did we just want to re-open a market with Libya? Finally if these people on this blog denounce inaction are willing to pay for and equip our military properly and assign them a clear mission then that is their wish but perhaps they should think about this when they see the residents of another nation burning our flag in the streets and wonder why we never quite get greeted as liberators.
MC
March 17th, 2011
3:10 pm
Maybe another Chalibi? That worked out really well @@.
MC
March 17th, 2011
3:12 pm
You get it BW.
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
3:14 pm
Whine, since we’ve established clear air superiority, I’m sure the mopping up on the ground will be a cinch. When are you leaving for Somalia?
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
3:19 pm
BW – Well put. It was said from the beginning that if we were to push for Democratic elections in places that never really had them, then we had to be prepared for results we didn’t like.
I don’t personally know anyone who is “outraged” at Qaddafi (Khadfhy, Gadhafi, etc.). His dealings within his nation were not at the forefront of global attention until the Jasmin Revolution swept into his country. He has certainly done himself no favors with lines about fighting to the last man, the last woman, and the last bullet. Or saying there would be rivers of blood.
Road Scholar
March 17th, 2011
3:22 pm
Thank you BW. I had to step away and Good Grief is still living in the past. My comment was made for today and the future. Yes. We all have blamed many for issues in the past. If we are to succeed as a nation, we had better define and agree on what we’d like to be and move in that direction. Staying here…and in the past gets us nowhere and compounds our problems!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 17th, 2011
3:29 pm
AG- As soon as obozo declares war on them, hahahahahahahahaha, know what I’m sayin?
Harry Callahan
March 17th, 2011
3:29 pm
“Sir Ronald Reagen didn’t need to impress a bunch of neo-con chicken-hawk never served perpetual deferred arm-chaired punks.”
Don’t know if you heard, but Senator John Kerry (D), who boasts longly and loudly about his service in Vietnam, is one of those urging action in Libya.
As Kyle stated, it was galactically stupid of Obama to say that Khaddafi must step down when he planned to take no action whatsoever.
I can’t decide which is more clownish, this administration’s domestic policy, or it’s foreign policy.
seabeau
March 17th, 2011
3:31 pm
Where is GW when we need him? If America had LED then the Rest of the World would have Followed. Obama is a moral coward like most liberals.