Lady GwynapNud wrote:
You can bet on one thing, he has every opportunity to live up to his ambitions on the world stage.
The article in question outlines why it's unlikely he will. Reality will meet fantasy and hopefully fantasy will have to give. His "ambition" was based on being naive enough to actually say things that can't work, but sound really good to those who don't know better.
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There are 2 reasons for that, countries are tired of IRAQ, Gaza and other warzones. They wish for peace which could not be pursued with Bush.
No. They wish for large western nations not to fight back. There's a difference. Chamberlain sought "peace in our time" and the parallels to what the western world seems to seek today is scary. Confusing peace with appeasement is dangerous foreign policy.
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Obama is seen as a potential bridge between the east and the west.
Obama is viewed as someone who may just be dumb enough to buy the above fallacy. He's not a "bridge". I guarantee you that the folks in the Middle East hoping he'll do what he promised to not do so out of some sense of brotherhood with him. They see an obstacle to their dreams of power standing aside. Don't assume anything more is going on here.
The foreign policy you seem to hold in such high regard (and hope Obama adopts) reminds me of a guy I knew back when I worked at a convenience store. A common tactic used by the local hoodlums was to act as intimidating as possible and then ask the clerk if he could have something "for free", sometimes accompanied with "At least I'm not stealing it". There was a guy who'd fall for that every time. He was so concerned about being robbed by the thieves I guess that he'd "give" them whatever they wanted when they came in. In his mind, this way they had an understanding. They didn't steal from him, so he didn't feel like he was being victimized.
Of course, they ended up taking more than they could have gotten if they'd just stolen it, and at zero risk to themselves. It's a stupid thing to do. Even if you can't stop the guy from stealing something, you have to make him do it. If you just give in, he gets what he wants "for free" and your expense. It may feel better, but it's absolutely the wrong thing to do.
The policies most westerners seem to want to employ is just like that. Give them what they want instead of forcing them to fight for it. That way you avoid the conflict, right? But of course, it never ends does it? They never stop and things never get better. That's what you're hoping Obama will do.
I hope, just as fervently, that he doesn't. I hope he'll realize that only by standing up to the "bad guys" does the world ever become a better place. And yeah, it increases the conflict in the short term. Of course it does. But that's a necessary price for true peace. The kind of false peace you seem to want isn't real. It lasts only until the next demands are made. You end up being the victim without even realizing it.
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If he even comes half way to achieving his ambition on the international stage then America will feel that in benefits in kind with trade and stability.
Sure. The global community will embrace us with open arms and trade with us! Yippeee! Just sell your soul here. It's a small price, right?