Posted on 11/24/2009 12:57:04 PM PST by Schnucki
The arrival of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in Washington and the bad feeling towards the current U.S administration in New Delhi right now highlights a disappointing truth about President Barack Obama: Foreign policy is not his thing.
Well, not if we judge him on his achievements in South Asia – the front line in the war on terror, the home of Al Qaeda’s global headquarters, and the place where, more than anywhere in the world, he needs to succeed.
Yet in Afghanistan, he seems to be failing miserably. His favourite politician, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the main Afghan guest at his inauguration, was defeated in a rigged election. The president appears paralysed by indecision as rival advisors urge fewer or more boots on the ground. If, as reported, he is set to deploy 30,000 more troops, they will be put in the way of danger to prop up a corrupt president, his warlord friends, and an Afghan army which doesn’t have the will to fight its own war.
Obama’s surge of troops earlier this year has led only to more American casualties, the Taliban are stronger than ever, and the prospects of their commanders cutting a deal with President Karzai, a man they do not respect, seem more remote than ever.
Worse, the election has strengthened Karzai’s position and underlined Obama’s lack of leverage despite the thousands of U.S troops in the country and the billions spent in U.S aid: the more he gives, the less he gets, and the limits of American power become ever clearer.
In Pakistan, the feel-good factor of a hated American president (George W Bush) being replaced by one with Muslim roots has faded, and Obama’s intentions are judged by the actions of his bossy special envoy Richard Holbrooke, who is regularly denounced as his
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
Failing? But bammy is so intelligent, how can this be? The entire media enterprise has stated many times that he is so very smart, how can they explain this? Were they wrong?
Thanks to Algore we can now get our news from the Canadians and Brits.
Domestic policy’s not his thing, either. HE’S his thing!
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