Posted on 03/06/2011 8:54:20 AM PST by Christus_Rex
As Libya's bloody conflict rages on, important lessons for U.S. foreign policy are emerging from the past month's Middle East turmoil. Starting with Tunisia, the Obama administration has seemed repeatedly surprised by anti-regime demonstrations, unsure of the stakes for America and its allies and unprepared conceptually and operationally to deal with the consequences.
In Egypt, there was contradictory, unhelpful White House rhetoric when silence would have been prudent - and in Libya, silence when strong American words (and actions) were amply warranted.
The truth is, while regional turmoil ignited nearly simultaneously in several countries, the causes of the uprisings require intelligent analysis of what's going on in each nation, not trying to cram it artificially into a preconceived narrative.
We haven't seen this emerge. In Egypt, Obama had at least four different official positions before Hosni Mubarak finally fell. His wavering damaged American credibility throughout the region, particularly with other governments that considered themselves friendly to the United States.
In Libya, one likely scenario is that the country descends into continuing civil war, with no clear winner or loser for some time. Just as Al Qaeda or other terrorists have established operating bases in failed states like Somalia, we risk a similar environment now on what was once called the Barbary Coast, literally on "the shores of Tripoli" of the Marines' Hymn.
Rather than standing by and allowing chaos to mature, we should be taking active steps, such as recognizing an alternative Libyan government, or even securing Tripoli's port and airport, to prevent it.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
They weren’t asleep. We were. The White House was funding the muslim brotherhood. Sending Code Pink and William Ayers to help with ‘organizing’ and other nefarious plans to install radical islam across the middle east.
They weren’t caught off guard. They knew it was coming because Obama had homies in the region stirring trouble.
Isn’t there anyone besides him whom we can call at 2am?
Yes, when Muslims are fighting and killing each other we should get involved and help one side or the other.. Maybe even both sides...
“caught off guard” or
the de facto democrat policy?
remember carter in iran and panama,
the clintons supporting islam in the balkans,
and now obama.
Good point! Obama is a Marxist Muslim radical. Shame most Americans can’t see that.
Fortunately for Obama, cluelessness and naivete are not a crime, or else he would be on death row. Obama and his administration have been asleep at the wheel since noon on Jan. 20, 2009. He is the most inept, indecisive and utterly directionless “president” we have ever had. He has no focus, the utter deterioration of things in Afghanistan is a good example. Before Obama took over, we were getting a grip on things over there. Now Obama takes over, with no clear policy and a Muslim loving agenda and utter lack of leadership and where are we now? Fast approaching another Vietnam style quagmire. He tells the enemy when we will leave, which is about the stupidest thing any commander could do. The Afghans may be illiterate and uneducated goat farmers, but they are not stupid. Obama gives them a timeline, so they just maintain the status quo until the last US soldiers and Marines are on the last plane out, and then they resume with fervor. He and his ship of fools administration have taken snatching defeat from the jaws of victory to an artform.
They won’t do anything.
Agree!
Obama is a perfect example of why you shouln’t get something for nothing.
He got a college education most people dream of and because he never paid for any of it, he didn’t do anything to actually learn anything.
It seems like all Obama does it go on vacations, golf and stir up unions. What a failure.
That’s about it.
And people like Bolton, claiming that Obama is simply a fool, are enablers. I simply don’t believe you if you say you think Obama is making “mistakes”.
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