Perhaps America cannot win. The world protested at George W Bush's America for being an interventionist superpower. Today, in a powerful editorial, The Times of London attacks Barack Obama's foreign policy for a shirking of responsibility to stand with the people of the Arab world and their yearning for freedom:
Obama's lack of leadership: "Addressing cheering crowds in Berlin in July 2008, Mr Obama declared that the burdens of global citizenship united Europe and America. His Administration is shirking those burdens, and presiding over a disturbing erosion of American influence."
Obama's failure to defend freedom: "The Arab world has been roiled by political dissent and violent attempts to suppress it. And when freedom was at stake, the leader of the free world was nowhere to be seen."
Hillary Clinton's feeble diplomacy: "In language as bloodless as its diplomatic impact is feeble, Hillary Clinton declares: “Absent international authorisation, the United States acting alone would be stepping into a situation the consequences of which would be unforeseeable.”"
Obama's weakness on Iran: "His indifference to protests in Iran against a patently fraudulent presidential election in 2009 gave an ominous sign of the cast of his diplomacy."
Obama's neglect of the transatlantic relationship: "The transatlantic alliance is founded on shared values rather than personalities. It will survive Mr Obama’s feckless disregard for America’s reputation among its allies and admirers."
Read the full leader in The Times.
A Times leader does not equate to protestors in the streets but if, under Obama's watch, the Arab uprising is crushed, Iran takes decisive steps towards becoming a nuclear power and the special US/UK relationship is broken, who is to say that non-interventionism is at least as deadly?
