Across the globe the United States is being tested, and is unfortunately failing.
The very recent missile tests by North Korea, the seeming failure of the Syrian agreement, the threat posed by the potential total withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the continued Russian incursion and threats in Ukraine are the most visible and current instances of foreign policy failures by the present administration.
Acts of terrorism appear to be escalating rather than receding. Solid facts and answers regarding Benghazi are yet to be forthcoming. Terrorists groups are probing all over the world. This fact has been ever present since 9/11. The probes continue and increase.
And now the Obama administration wants to terminate the primary role of the United States in managing and controlling the domain allocations of the internet. The United States has been managing this program since the initiation of the internet. Not only does this have serious international business and trade implications. It presents additional national security threats.
As Ukraine smoldered, Russia dominated the referendum in the Crimea and occupied more territory. In the United States, the Senate did not take up a Ukraine emergency aid package before taking a week of vacation. It is doubtful that this urgent issue will find agreement in Congress in the near future. Let’s hope Congress acts quickly upon the return to Washington. This situation should be a bipartisan matter with bipartisan action.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger may have been correct when he said, “The American temptation is to believe that foreign policy is a division of psychiatry.” That is the way current foreign policy seems to be practiced in Washington. Make no mistake, Putin knows what he is doing, calculating every move and dominating the world stage. He once said, “In accordance with the Russian Federation, the issues of foreign policy and defense are fully in the hands of the president.” Putin understands that nature, especially political nature abhors a vacuum. He has acted decisively to arrange an illegal and rigged election in Crimea which significantly strengthens his hand in obtaining his original reasons for entering Ukraine.
There is no doubt that several vital interests are at play in Ukraine and the Crimea. As in the Middle East, energy is a significant vital interest for Russia and the nations in Western Europe. For the United States, vital interests include the containment of Russian expansionism, becoming more energy sufficient at home, water access to strategic points and the support of people seeking freedom and democracy.
The U.S. business community should not be concerned over the limited and weak sanctions imposed against Russia by the Obama administration. These sanctions apply only to the deposed Ukraine President Victor Yankukovych, seven other government officials and four other Russians. What about the myriad of Russian oligarchs and major U.S. corporations? However, as President Obama has said, “It is not personal, Vladimir.”
Yes, America is being tested. Failing grade can no longer be tolerated. In order to improve our standing in the world, the United States must improve its grades in foreign policy and leadership.
Fletcher R. Hall
Joe Lill says
Editor,
Our response to foreign political challenges should be inversely proportional to the distance of those challenges from our shores. The further away, the softer we speak. Unfortunately, history has not made us realize this. The lives we lost in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan are not enough to make people understand that we can not influence peoples’ behavior everywhere.
If Russia had landed in Nova Scotia and was marching on Montreal, and then Toronto, we should be speaking loudly and mobilizing our assets because that would be a foreign matter that we would most likely have to become a part of.
If China completed the “billion man swim” and washed up on the shores of the Baja Peninsula with plans to march on to Tijuana, we should be speaking loudly and mobilizing our assets because San Diego would surely be next.
But to have us send in the troops to blow out the fuses of missiles in North Korea because the son of Kim Jon-Il, Kim Jong-Un ( “Minnie Me” ) wants some attention is ludicrous.
Crimea has had many rulers in the past going back to pre-Roman times. It was part of Russia in the the old Soviet Union until 1954 when Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Prime Minister, and more importantly a Ukrainian, “gave” it to the Ukraine. How’s that work?
We must be careful about how we support fledgling Democracies. We can be vocal, but only to the extent at which we can, or are willing to become involved. During the Cold War we learned that in the uprisings in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
At this point, trade sanctions, asset freezing, and revoking visas seem a good starting point that can grow stronger over time. Offering to export natural gas and oil to Europe and the Ukraine would allow those areas to voice their opinions without the “gun to their head” threat that their Russian energy imports would be cut off.
The author of this op-ed has said that terrorism has grown since 9-11. That also corresponds to the timeline of us becoming more involved in the internal matters of countries located far away from us. We need to think about that when we shape foreign policy.
Stephan Sonn says
Editor
This latest scripted piece is another page from the privatization of America propaganda handbook which attempts to crush American democracy.
Jon Slocum says
Mr. Hall needs to find new subject matter in his Anti everything other than neo-con campaign. I’m growing tired of it…..
Gerry Maynes says
Editor,
The problem is that we have no foreign policy. Mr Obama is his own worst enemy. Nobody wants a war but dealing from weakness just might cause one To be sure nobody is ever going to confuse secretary of state’s ( current and former) John Kerry and Hillary Clinton with John Quincy Adams, or President Obama with Ronald Reagan or John Kennedy. The leader he most likely resembles is Neville Chamberlain
Stupid threats and needless concessions, along with the general incompetence of this administration has made us a laughing stock of the world. Yes, it would be silly to send troops. However, We should have gave Poland the Star Wars defense system, when it was asked for and not back down to the Thug that runs that country. He no more wants to go to war with us then we want to go to war with them. We showed weakness and this led to Russia’s latest move. Kennedy backed out of The Bay of Pigs and this lead to the Cuban Missile crisis. The Russians felt that US would do nothing about it. Kennedy had learned from his mistake. The Russians backed down. But the initial weakness almost caused a Nuclear War. Our country and President would be better served if he simply says nothing, when the next world crisis occurs, then to continue the current script.
Joe Lill says
Editor,
Maybe Mr. Maynes and Mr. Hall should ask Osama bin Laden what he thinks the United States is willing and able to do when our Country makes the decision to act decisively. President Reagan looked tough when he invaded Grenada in the Caribbean because the Cubans were building an airstrip there. President Kennedy came out of the Cuban Crisis looking like stronger than before.
The common denominator of Granada and The Cuban Missile is that they are close to home and not the 5200 mile distance that’s between the Capital of our country and the capital of the Ukraine. Granada had the Army the size of the Easton Police Department and Cuba is not Russia.
To quote John Quincy Adams for Mr. Maynes, ” The United States does not go abroad looking for Monsters to Destroy.”
Gerald .Maynes says
Editor,
Perhaps if Mr Lill would take the time to read what I wrote, he would see that I stated that it would be silly to send troops. Yes Mr Reagan invaded Grenada not to look tough. but to save U.S. Medical Students on that Island, My cousin Buddy was one of them and is grateful to this very day. ( Yes he is a Doctor} The world respected the Us when Reagan was president because we had a strong policy.I n fact in his 8 years in office we lost only 40 Marines in Lebanon. He did not invade the country but withdrew. That was the proper thing to do. Reagan’s constant stance led to the fall of the Soviet Union. He stood firm on Star Wars came home without a Nuclear treaty with the Soviets rather then sign into a bad deal. Remember we do not live in the times of Mr Adams. It is true that the U.S isn!isn’t looking for monsters to destroy but we certainly aren’t looking to make any more Hitlers due to our silly actions of our President. World War two killed millions of people because politicians like Neville Chamberlain did not take a stand when he could. Mr. Obama could take a lesson. More Americans have been killed under his administration than under Mr Reagan and that is the bottom line.
Joe Lill says
Editor,
If Mr. Maynes does not advocate sending troops, what does he advocate? What does Mr. Maynes and Mr. Hall think could have been done to guarantee that Russian troops would not occupy an area that was part of Russia 60 years ago? Maybe the Star Wars that Mr. Maynes refers to would have kept them out! That would make a great Tom Toles cartoon in the Washington Post.
If times have changed since John Quincy Adams was President why would you bring up his name? I can quote many of our Founding Father’s thoughts on foreign policy and they are unanimous in the thought that we should remain out of foreign wars….especially in Europe.
It is ludicrous to think that if Neville Chamberlain acted in a different way, Adolph Hitler would not have behaved the way he did. He was not going to be a passive altar boy/lap dog because someone told him to….”Now just go outside and play nice Adolph!”
Our stay in Beirut did not end with the deaths of “only” 40 Marines but 241 and the total deaths from the 4 truck bombs that caused those 241 Marine deaths also took the lives of another 150 people.
It would be a good idea if Mr. Hall and Mr. Maynes offered some constructive ideas that could have been done to correct this crisis rather than offer the same old banal rhetoric of “This Administration isn’t solving the problems on the other side of the globe!”
Gerry Maynes says
Editor,
It is a shame that Mr Lill hasn’t been able to figure out that one does not have to resort to the military if one has a consistent policy. Countries get in trouble when they back down ,make excuses and cover up their mistakes with foolish statements like a movie upset the residents of Benghazi into killing our Ambassador and several others. These things lead thugs who run countries like Russia to invade their neighbors, because they no that their will be no consequences.
Other countries our allies will not go along with our President for the same reason an d thus no united front is possible on Financial sanctions. As far as times being different, perhaps Mr Lill dosent realize that in Mr Adams time it took a fleet two months to cross the Atlantic, thus we would have months s to organize a defense. The object today is to stop and enemy before he lands in the continental US. Just because some things has changed dosen!t mean that Mr Adams wisdom in general should be disgarded. Mr Adams would have understood my basic points After all it was he who advocated them in his time in office He did not back dow3n in the Florida Affair with Spain but created new International Law and this led to the purchase of that state from Spain. He did not back down from a fight ut used the tools he had to reach a fair outcome. Mr Obama is simply over his head. Period.
Edward B Plaisance, Jr says
Editor,
It is rather difficult to infer exactly what a passing grade would be here.
Perhaps a neocon type replay of Iraq somewhere else? As Dr Phil would say: “How is that working for you?”
To put the most recent issue of Crimea into perspective, I would invite everyone to visit the Stratfor web site to get this free analysis (and others)
https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/us-options-are-limited-sanctions-russia
This is what you call cogent geopolitical analysis.
If we want to discuss issues such as this, this is the way to discuss them.
Gren Whitman says
Editor,
Says Mr. Hall, “Across the globe, the United States is being tested and is unfortunately failing” but, sadly for Spy readers, Hall’s peculiar assembly of his own set of “facts” leads to erroneous conclusions.
What “recent missile tests by North Korea”? What “Syrian agreement”? What “threat posed by the potential total withdrawal from Afghanistan”? And is Russia’s incursion into Crimea really a “foreign policy failure by the present administration”?
Conclusions not based on facts are so very characteristic of Mr. Hall’s occasional essays!
Joe Lill says
Editor,
Mr. Maynes and Mr. Hall, specifically, what do you think the United States should do regarding the crisis in the Ukraine?………..