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
@@
March 17th, 2011
3:33 pm
MC:
Iraq, absent Sadr would probably doing much better. Even with, things aren’t looking too bad for democracy.
This is the rebel’s pledge:
http://ntclibya.org/english/about/
These are the people who’ve sworn their allegiance to the newly formed council:
http://ntclibya.org/english/allegiances/
Council Members:
Council members
The Council is composed of thirty one (31) members representing the various regions and cities of Libya. A number of these members have been named while the names of those representing Ajdabiya, Al Kufrah, Ghat, Nalut, Misratah, Az Zintan and Az Zawiya will not be declared for safety reasons. The Council is eagerly awaiting for the naming of representatives from Central and Southern Libya and Tripoli.
1. Counselor: Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil as chairman of The Council.
2. Mr. Othman Suleiman El-Megyrahi (Batnan Area)
3. Mr. Ashour Hamed Bourashed (Darna City)
4. Dr. Abdelallah Moussa El-myehoub (Qouba Area)
5. Mr. Zubiar Ahmed El-Sharif (Representative of the political prisoners)
6. Mr. Ahmed Abduraba Al-Abaar (Benghazi City)
7. Mr.Dr. Fathi Mohamed Baja (Benghazi City)
8. Mr. Abdelhafed Abdelkader Ghoga (Benghazi City)
9. Mr Fathi Tirbil and Dr. Salwa Fawzi El-Deghali (Representative of youth and women)
This is the guy, Hillary’s been talking to:
Mr Mahmood Jibril:
Born in Libya n 1952, obtained a BSc in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University in 1975. Holds a masters’ degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1980. He also obtained a Doctorate in Strategic planning and decision-making from the same university in 1984 where he worked as a professor in the same subject field for several years. So far he has published 10 books in Strategic planning and decision making. He led the team who drafted and formed the Unified Arab Training manual. He was also responsible for organising [SIC] and administering the first two Training conferences in the Arab world in the years 1987 and 1988. He later took over the management and administration of many of the leaders’ training programs for senior management in Arab countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Britain.
I’m sure our government knows more about him than ^^^ that. Perhaps they learned from their mistakes with Chalabi.
MC, there’s no life without risks. Frozen is no way to exist.
BW
March 17th, 2011
3:36 pm
Harry
This is why we hold elections every four years
Seabeau
Just remember that Obama is more than likely in office because Dubya
@@
March 17th, 2011
3:37 pm
MC:
For some reason my response is being held in moderation. Don’t know why.
It offered up “The Pledge” of the rebel forces. Showed videos from districts within Libya who have sworn allegiance to the movement.
Gave a list of the council members.
This is one of two leaders with whom Hillary’s been meeting:
Mr Mahmood Jibril:
Born in Libya n 1952, obtained a BSc in Economics and Political Science from Cairo University in 1975. Holds a masters’ degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1980. He also obtained a Doctorate in Strategic planning and decision-making from the same university in 1984 where he worked as a professor in the same subject field for several years. So far he has published 10 books in Strategic planning and decision making. He led the team who drafted and formed the Unified Arab Training manual. He was also responsible for organising [SIC] and administering the first two Training conferences in the Arab world in the years 1987 and 1988. He later took over the management and administration of many of the leaders’ training programs for senior management in Arab countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Britain.
I’m sure our government knows more about him than ^^^ that. Perhaps they learned from their mistakes with Chalabi.
MC, there’s no life without risks. Frozen is no way to exist.
@@
March 17th, 2011
3:38 pm
Oops! I see my original response has been set free.
R is for Recession
March 17th, 2011
3:40 pm
Terd Fergesun
March 17th, 2011
2:07 pm
You intervene because it is the right thing to do for mankind.
Coming from a conservative, this makes me chuckle. So which side of “right thing to do for mankind” does healthcare fall into? what about unemployment? pollution and climate change control? Or in the mond of a conservative, does the “right thing for mankind” usually only involve missles and combat?
Tommy
March 17th, 2011
3:46 pm
R
You forgot Arabs. The neocon’s “Right thing for mankind” involves missles, combat, and Arabs.
@@
March 17th, 2011
3:46 pm
Obama’s in office because of his “gifted oratory”…something that McCain was sorely lacking, my friends…
my friends…
my friends
Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
3:48 pm
I’m so glad we have a black president. He doesn’t feel he has to compensate for a small wang by bombing other countries.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
3:49 pm
R is for – Yes, health care is the “right thing to do” for mankind, it’s just that there are a lot of people who feel that the law, and if not the law then the manner in which it was passed, was not for the greater good.
Road Scholar – I’m sorry you feel that I’m living in the past. I’m merely looking at the last few administrations in trying to diagnose the problem. Unlike some liberals who refuse to look any farther than the last administration.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 17th, 2011
3:50 pm
Dear @@ @ 3:05, apologies, frankly I almost decided to not push the “send” button @ 1:42, but King Kaiser’s signature line from My Favorite Year impelled the transmission.
Good Grief
March 17th, 2011
3:52 pm
@@ at 3:46 -
Which is wonderful if you were electing a public speaker. I’ll admit that I voted for Bush in 2000, and I voted for him because he wasn’t as good of a “speaker” as Gore. I felt that he would rely more on his Cabinet. I was wrong, but I learned from it. Still, I don’t vote for someone (and I would hope that most people are like me) just because that person is a “gifted” orator. Also, I’ve seen Obama sans teleprompter, and it’s not pretty.
John
March 17th, 2011
3:53 pm
How can Mr. Wingfield consider this as his “commentary” when it’s just quoting in large batches someone else’s work?
Anna
March 17th, 2011
3:54 pm
Why are people who call themselves Americans and patriots attacking your president instead of showing unity? Republicans, Democrats, etc. Seem to forget the economy, healthcare, education were all bad before President Obama assumed this mess and is not his doing but prior administrations. Maybe when you get a president that shows his people disdain and disrespect you’ll appreciate Obama Healthcare to make sure you have what you need all the time. Contrary to your beliefs, if you don’t pay higher taxes for his plan your taxes will increase regardless to pay for the uninsured, illegal immigrants, etc. Why not have a plan that makes everyone pay into it?
Also, all you who thought you could get something for nothing and bought homes you couldn’t afford, stop running to the government for a hand out. Why should my tax money bail you out? You don’t deserve it. To the anti-government protesters, I agree that Medicare, Medicaid, social security, welfare, etc. Need to be either abolished or severely limited. People use these programs as fail safe measures because they know it’s there and I can get it if I qualify.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 17th, 2011
3:55 pm
Dear John @ 3:53, good afternoon, do you know anyone who has ever had a really original idea? I don’t.
Ragnar Danneskjöld
March 17th, 2011
3:56 pm
Dear Anna @ 3:54, we are not attacking Chauncey, we are merely voting “present.”
Screwy Louie
March 17th, 2011
3:59 pm
Well, Obama the Magnificent has a real problem here folks. After admonishing the nation on civility after the Tucson shooting, he just recently said “we are tightening the noose on Colonel Khaddafi” (paraphased from recollection). Interesting choice of words but clearly not from the kumbaya manual for world “leaders”. Tightening the noose. Sort of like Bush’s “Mission Accomplished”.
I also recall him saying something during his election or not long afterwards declaring that the U.S. wasn’t the world’s cop and we should essentially stand down from our imperialistic posture. We had gotten too big for our britches and needed to refrain fro exerting our will on other sovereign nations.
Here is the problem: He is a narciscist and can’t stand not getting his way. His only face-saving out in Libya is to have the kooky Colonel bumped off. Not shocking for a dude from Chicago, but how can he or his supporters square assasination with his/their rhetoric? Sadly, the electorate chose an incompetent boob and he is dangerous because of his personal shortcomings.
We are witnessing a leadership void like never before in my lifetime and we will all suffer this fool.
Lightbulb
March 17th, 2011
4:02 pm
@3:55
Here is an original idea to make some money.
Offer to rich folks——”Primitive Man Experience”.
Dress them in a firesuit or kevlar suit and then lower them into cages with either bears or tigers.
Or better yet, take them to the Serengeti in Africa to get the full experience of being stalked and ran down.
It will go.
Screwy Louie
March 17th, 2011
4:03 pm
@Aquagirl 3:48- You are a goober. Dear Leader is not black, number one, and you have been looking at too much porn, number two, and regardless the size-he has no balls, number three.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 17th, 2011
4:06 pm
But now Obama is chief executive, and learning, as did Prince Hamlet, that thinking out every possible side of a question can mean never acting on any of them — a sort of Shakespearean “prison” where “there is nothing either good or bad.” Worrying about pleasing everyone ensures pleasing no one. Once again such “conscience does make cowards of us all.”
Hamlets, past and present, are as admirable in theory as they are fickle — and often dangerous — in fact.
To be a sissy or to not be a sissy, that is the question.
And obozo ain’t the answer, just sayin..
Tommy
March 17th, 2011
4:08 pm
Screwy Louie
March 17th, 2011
3:59 pm
I think your name says it all.
JF McNamara
March 17th, 2011
4:12 pm
Good Grief,
“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?”
The stimulus, the bailouts of the autos and banks. Restoring confidence in the markets. That was his magic wand. The whole while, what were Republicans yelling. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Now that its turned out relatively well everyone forgets that. I’d like to see what it would’ve been like if we’d done nothing…
What brewing mess did Clinton leave Bush? He left him in such good financial position that he had a surplus to give tax cuts. Clinton didn’t create the Katrina response. Clinton didn’t leave Bush Iraq or 911. Bush pushed Iraq as an extension of Afghanistan. The entire Banking and housing crises came to a head under Bush.
I remember seeing things about the financial crises on CNBC as early as 2006. There were plenty of warning signs and he did nothing. He didn’t raise rates to stop growth, in fact, he pushed Greenspan to keep them artifically low.
I’m not saying Bush was the beginning of our issues, but his 8 years of complete ineptitude sure didn’t help.
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:18 pm
Ragnar:
Not a problem. It’s good to know I can still blush, although my brother would chastise me for having done so.
I’m relieved to know, I’m, at least, wearing a loin cloth in your mind’s eye. See if you can muster up a breastplate for me, would ‘ya?
(ISH)
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:19 pm
One too many “I’ms” but who cares? Not me. I just
HB
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:25 pm
Paralysis by analysis is an apt tag for Obama. It’s almost as though he hopes the problems will go away on their own. There’s only so much time he can spend twiddling his thumbs before inaction becomes obvious.
I have to ask….has he been in this coma all his life?
Aaarrggghhhhhh
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:27 pm
Perhaps he was conceived in a coma, born in a coma, or
dropped on his head as a child.
Gm
March 17th, 2011
4:28 pm
Hey maybe if Obama attack libya, we could have another 4500 America troops die, under George W, and maybe our policies will get another 5,000 Americans dead in New York.
If we bring back the draft, then idiot Rep would not be so quick to call this President a coward for not putting our noise in every one business.
Thank you President Obama for being cool, classy, level headed and not trying to get more Americans kill, thanks for not listening to fat slob high school drop out Rush Limbaugh who was to much of a drug and alcholic to join in military service, thanks for not listening to 3 times college drop out Sean Hannity who was to stupid to past the military exam.
Harry Callahan
March 17th, 2011
4:30 pm
“Aquagirl
March 17th, 2011
3:48 pm
I’m so glad we have a black president. He doesn’t feel he has to compensate for a small wang by bombing other countries.”
No, he compensates for his small wang by reading long boring speeches from a teleprompter and surrounding himself with mindless liberal sycophants who tell him how awesome he is.
Harry Callahan
March 17th, 2011
4:32 pm
Gm, I think you’ve mistaken Michael Moore for Rush Limbaugh. As far as Sean Hannity, the “3 times colleg dropout” earns more in a week than you do in a year.
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:36 pm
Food prices make the biggest jump in 36 years.
No kidding!!!!!!
Pay more, get less.
Peter
March 17th, 2011
4:36 pm
Kyle is America up for a 3rd WAR…..and how will we pay for it ?
Republican’s haven’t won the last wars they started did they, or figure out how to pay for eitehr of them did they ?
BUT They did manage to keep the cost of WAR out of the spiraling deficit they amassed.
But Hey Cheney said it best…’Deficits don’t matter.” Of course they don’t, or do they Kyle ?
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:37 pm
Gm:
We’re just looking to kill their airplanes.
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:40 pm
Obama’s boobs overshadow his wang.
Sorry, but the guy’s a bit flabby up top.
His inaction would indicate he’s a bit flabby downstairs too.
All over flabby.
Tommy
March 17th, 2011
5:26 pm
@@
March 17th, 2011
4:40 pm
Thanks for contributing to the mature, constructive dialog that is helping to fix the issues this country is facing.
Gm
March 17th, 2011
5:34 pm
Harry Callahan: Mike Moorer does not have millions of small minded middle class whites to expolit, fat druge user Limbaugh has never rallied or been out behind that mic, at least Mike Moorer gets out for causes, oh, but wait Limbaugh does not have to he have idiiots like you to do it for him.
Hannity will always stay rich, because he sells you idiots that America dream crap, while the other half are living in trailers barely can eat.
Road Scholar
March 17th, 2011
5:39 pm
Good Grief: An earlier post sounded like sour grapes for the past. Let’s learn from the past but move forward into the future!
@@
March 17th, 2011
5:41 pm
Tommy:
You’re welcome. I’d encourage Obama to tone it up but there’s only so much I can do.
(ISH)
@@
March 17th, 2011
5:42 pm
Oops!
That (ISH) should’ve been a schnirt.
Joe
March 17th, 2011
5:54 pm
This is a not a well thought out argument. It’s likely not a coincidence that people in the middle east are fighting for democracy while Obama’s president. Surely the dictators over there have a hard time arguing that America is at fault for everything, when their population sympathizes with the American president.
wallbanger
March 17th, 2011
5:57 pm
Why should he be saying anything about Libya? We can’t afford to get involved. We are only one of the big economic powers–where is the call for China or Japan to do something about keeping world peace? I say, shut up and hunker down. We need to save our own country first.
Peter
March 17th, 2011
6:11 pm
Hey Wallbanger…….Republican’s want to rush to war so they forget about the deficit they created……..and the disaster we now call the American Economy.
The two wars that Bush started and didn’t ever WIN, or have a clue how to fund.
They want to call Obama weak cause American solders are not dying………as in the case of George Bush, who “Prayed to his God, before invading Iraq”.
Then again deficits don’t matter…….that’s what Cheney said.
Republican’s who believe Cheney think deficits don’t matter……kind of like Bin Laden and Saddam were working together……another famous Cheney lie !
BW
March 17th, 2011
6:48 pm
Hey Kyle….do you care to revise your statement about the failure of “internationalism”?
I will admit that I am wrong about the UN…I wish they your kind meaning “conservatives” would just run on your principles and not hyperventilate over everything this administration is doing regardless of whether or not the “liberals” did it to Dubya,
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/17/u-n-imposes-no-fly-zone-over-libya/?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
Screwy Louie
March 17th, 2011
9:20 pm
Tommy eats boogers. There, was that mature enough for you little man? Next time you go to vote I will key your car. You are the guy that wears women’s panties, right? It was a joke you dweeblib.
Georgia Voter
March 17th, 2011
11:11 pm
It seems that KW should have updated his post to report the following:
“The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to authorize military action, including airstrikes against Libyan tanks and heavy artillery and a no-fly zone…officials in Britain, France and the United States were all adamant that Arab League forces take part in the military actions and help pay for the operations, and that it not be led by NATO, to avoid the appearance that the West was attacking another Muslim country.”
I understand that “nuance” and “diplomacy” and “strategic planning” are dirty words among the right-wing anti-Obama machine, but there it is.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1&hp
guy
March 18th, 2011
6:49 am
I really do not see how this man can stand up as he is spineless and clueless about everything.He does take time to pick the NCAA basketball final four.That shows his true mentality.Those who voted him in are no smarter than he is either.Ignorance is truly bliss and this is what ignorance looks like! obama is the joker and the joke’s unfortunately on the rest of us.Thanks a lot!!!
Moderate Line
March 18th, 2011
7:23 am
There is a big difference between Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.
1. Afghanistan harbored terrorist which attacked the United States.
2. Libya is an open revolt.
Neither of these two applied to Iraq.
It’s great to make the argument that internationalism has failed but the opposite failed in Iraq. We never had a reason to go into Iraq. The international community was right and we were wrong.
Eric
March 18th, 2011
8:38 am
What a shame that we don’t have a genius, someone who has all the answers to all the questions, in the Whitehouse named Kyle Wingfield. Ugh!
Port O'John
March 18th, 2011
9:25 am
Umm, Kyle, your gleeful celebration of Obama’s failure is a bit premature. The UN Security Council approved a no-fly zone yesterday.
I know your a partisan hack Kyly, but you could at least get your facts half-way right some of the time. Otherwise people will think your just a Fox News Wannabe.
I kind of feel sorry for you. Must be hard to keep that much hate and vitriol going every day.
Moderate Line
March 18th, 2011
9:39 am
Port O’John
March 18th, 2011
9:25 am
Umm, Kyle, your gleeful celebration of Obama’s failure is a bit premature. The UN Security Council approved a no-fly zone yesterday.
I know your a partisan hack Kyly, but you could at least get your facts half-way right some of the time. Otherwise people will think your just a Fox News Wannabe.
I kind of feel sorry for you. Must be hard to keep that much hate and vitriol going every day.
+++++++++++++++
Libya declared an immediate cease-fire and promised to stop military operations Friday in a bid to fend off international military intervention after the U.N. authorized a no-fly zone and “all necessary measures” to prevent the regime from striking its own people.
I am tired of seeing the left rooting for Bush ti fail and the right rooting for Obama to fail. It makes both sides seem so petty.
retiredds
March 18th, 2011
9:59 am
Kyle, you need to stick with the regular Republican issues, abortion, same sex stuff, tea party foolishness, gun rights, medical care for the wealthy, tax cuts for the top 1% while everyone else is dumped upon. trashing the environment, the glorification of big oil and big coal, etc. Your view on foreign affairs is amateurish at best.
Georgia Voter
March 18th, 2011
10:46 am
“The United States has played a complicated role in the debate over military involvement, initially expressing great reluctance about being drawn into another armed conflict in a Muslim country but subsequently unnerved by the reports of Colonel Qaddafi’s gains.
But diplomats said the moral imperative of protecting civilians from Colonel Qaddafi and the political imperative of United States not watching from the sidelines while a notorious dictator violently crushed a democratic rebellion had helped wipe away lingering doubts.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19libya.html?hp=&pagewanted=all