by Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n
National Review Online<\/em><\/p>\n The incoming hope-and-change Obama administration advanced the narrative that at home and abroad it cared far more for people than profits. Its \u201creset\u201d diplomacy (all in the past \u201cbad,\u201d all in the future \u201cgood\u201d) was supposed to be about multilateral consensus instead of Bush-era unilateral hubris. But after almost 30 months, it is now clear that in our dealings abroad values like human rights, constitutional government, free-market liberal economics, and transparency do not matter much to the Obama administration.<\/p>\n In all the acrimony over the Israeli-Palestinian open sore \u2014 forget disputed lands, past history, even the matter of an ally versus an entity that is in league with our enemies \u2014 no one in the Obama administration has once reminded the American people that Israel is a liberal democracy that respects the rights of minorities, women, homosexuals, and the \u201cother\u201d in a manner that is still impossible on the West Bank or in Gaza. That Israel is prosperous and wealthy without natural resources in a way that most of its neighbors are not means little \u2014 and why that is so means nothing at all.<\/p>\n When President Obama voted present on the Iranian uprising and Secretary Clinton described the monstrous Assad as a \u201creformer,\u201d completely absent was any awareness that both countries are repressive, cruel, and intolerant of dissent \u2014 in a fashion that even our past dictatorial and autocratic partners like the odious Mubarak or Ben Ali did not. I am not suggesting that the latter should have escaped condemnation, only that repulsion for the former two regimes should have been even more pronounced. And, again, it simply was not.<\/p>\n Whatever the respect that must be accorded to Putin\u2019s Russia \u2014 given that it is vast, nuclear, rich with oil, and still a strategic player \u2014 it is hardly a society analogous to the new democracies of Eastern Europe such as Poland or the Czech Republic. But in all discussions about the thorny issues of missile defense, that fundamental fact was lost. It was almost as if Russia\u2019s past anger at the US, and Eastern Europe\u2019s support for the Bush administration, earned the one respect from the Obama administration, and the other suspicion, if not disdain. It seems too surreal to even suggest the following, but it is nevertheless likely: The degree to which a nation opposed the United States between 2001 and 2009 now wins it exemption from judgment; the degree to which it once supported us earns it present distrust.<\/p>\n I could go on in analyzing the administration\u2019s outreach to Cuba and Venezuela, and its relative lack of interest in their more liberal neighbors, but the general charge that the Obama administration does not seem to give Westernized constitutional government and open societies much weight in its diplomatic calculus is true enough. Talk of promoting democracy or supporting reformers\u00a0in the Middle East was belated and opportunistic. And it was so compromised by the confused, on-again\/off-again nature of our advocacy as to be rendered irrelevant \u2014 who exactly are the Libyan rebels, why the confused intervention in Libya but not Syria, what exactly is happening in Egypt, is the Muslim Brotherhood really \u201csecular,\u201d why the suspicion of the Iraqi democratic government, and why the exemption extended to the Gulf monarchies in a way it was not to other autocracies?<\/p>\n What explains this paradox of self-described liberal thinkers not appreciating classical liberalism abroad? It is not old-fashioned right-wing realpolitik that calibrates Obama\u2019s foreign policy \u2014 at least not on consistent criteria such as shared self-interests, national security, or access to resources, since the status of American alliances, our forward military profile, and a reductive commitment to help friends and punish enemies have never been more problematic.<\/p>\n Instead, American foreign policy is now becoming an extension not of classically liberal values, but of progressive suspicions of constitutional government, capitalism, and the historical role of the United States in particular and the West in general. The bowing to foreign potentates, the sad historical fabrications in the Cairo speech, the self-serving nonsense that arose in the first Al Arabiya interview, and the so-called \u201capology tour\u201d were simply superficial manifestations of a deeper ambiguity about America and its past and present values and world role.<\/p>\n In the Obama way of thinking, adversaries can claim an indigenous authenticity by the degree to which they share the progressive suspicion of the United States. What an Ahmadinejad or Assad shouts about America is simply a crude and bombastic version of what is too often taught in university ethnic-studies or political-science classes. That is why the unhinged Dr. Zawahiri or Osama bin Laden loved to quote back at us everyone from a like-minded Noam Chomsky to a befuddled Jimmy Carter.<\/p>\n We did not \u201cmeddle\u201d in Iran, because we were convinced that America was still culpable \u2014 a half-century later \u2014 for the Mossadegh mess. To support spontaneous democratic demonstrations of brave reformers might carry the smell of neoconservative democratic advocacy. And the protesters, nearly one million strong in the streets of Teheran, in turn were deemed less genuine by the very fact that they found something akin to our own system preferable to their home-grown theocratic nightmare.<\/p>\n The Arab League\u2019s resolutions on Libya are honored while the US Congress is not even consulted. The unelected members of the former are true representatives of the region, and their wisdom is thus legitimate; the elected representatives of the latter would only be guided by their Western prejudices and thus are suspect. Given the history of Yanquis in Latin America, we must consider extenuating circumstances that \u201clocate\u201d the oppression of a Castro, Chavez, or Ortega \u2014 while wondering why in the world a Chile, Colombia, or Honduras has at times emulated the United States. Questions of whether a Chilean is freer and more prosperous and has more legal protections than a Cuban or a Venezuelan are simply not part of the diplomatic equation.<\/p>\n Of course, there are ancillary motives for this bizarre foreign policy in addition to progressive suspicion of US institutions and past behavior. The therapeutic notion of being liked is surely a driving force, inasmuch as the tragic notion of being respected or honored is seen as a 19th-century ossified concept with no relevance in a multilateral, multicultural global landscape. Unease with Europe and its Western heritage is an outgrowth of academic hectoring about its imperial and colonial past: A Nigerian is poorer than a Frenchman not because of an absence of transparent lawful government and property rights \u2014 both possible with sound indigenous leadership \u2014 but because of past and ongoing oppression by white interlopers.<\/p>\n Where does this new reset diplomacy lead?<\/p>\n Only to irony.<\/p>\n Because we cannot reassure our allies that we will meet our obligations, we will be less, not more liked for our deference and indecision. Leading from behind in Libya will not impress either our enemies or our friends in the Middle East. And if such lethargy was intended to embarrass Europe for its past nitpicking and present impotence, that message of\u00a0Schadenfreude<\/em>\u00a0was sufficiently delivered on about day one of the Libyan bombing. Tilting toward Palestine at the expense of Israel will only remind radical Islamists that we are more afraid of their extremism than we are proud of our own tolerance.<\/p>\n In other words, what is forgotten in all these new ways of thinking about the world \u2014 which ultimately derive from half-century-old dogma about power, oppression, and the role of race, class, and gender in constructing norms \u2014 is that human nature is unchanging and trumps culture, race, and politics.<\/p>\n The most bloodthirsty Islamist, the loudest French Marxist, the most calculating Chinese realist \u2014 enemy, friend, or neutral \u2014 nonetheless will alike privately respect, or at least fear, those who live according to honor, consistent principles, and shared values, and take their word as their bond.<\/p>\n In other words, the more this administration tries to conduct its foreign policy in accordance with the values of most others abroad, the more most others abroad will dislike us for what we have become.<\/p>\n \u00a92011 Victor Davis Hanson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online The incoming hope-and-change Obama administration advanced the narrative that at home and abroad it cared far more for people than profits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[196],"tags":[12,1033,228,1039,442,1043,1074,458,1054,1016,424],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p466Sb-I5","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1079,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/diplomacy-carterizes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":0},"title":"Diplomacy Carterizes","author":"victorhanson","date":"January 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson NRO's\u00a0The Corner Reset\/Outreach R.I.P It is not surprising how little foreign policy comes up in the debates, given the sorry state of the economy. But the entire idea of Obama\u2019s outreach\/reset diplomacy is now starting to Carterize, circa 1979\/80, and in part reflects the vast trillions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Diplomacy"","block_context":{"text":"Diplomacy","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/geopolitics\/diplomacy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8729,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/obamas-schizophrenic-foreign-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":1},"title":"Obama’s Schizophrenic Foreign Policy","author":"victorhanson","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"An analysis of a recipe for serial disasters. by Bruce S. Thornton \/\/ FrontPage Magazine What are the roots of Barack Obama\u2019s foreign policy? Some focus on the man and his flaws of character, particularly his inability to learn from his mistakes and to adjust his ideas to changing facts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our Contributors"","block_context":{"text":"Our Contributors","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/our-contributors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo via FrontPage Magazine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/ov-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8263,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/the-audacity-of-weakness\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":2},"title":"The Audacity of Weakness","author":"victorhanson","date":"March 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Obama\u2019s morally confused foreign policy is making the world more dangerous by the day. by Victor Davis Hanson\u00a0\/\/ National Review Online Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress on Tuesday to warn Americans of the anti-Western threats from theocratic \u2014 and likely to soon be nuclear \u2014 Iran. Netanyahu\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Russia"","block_context":{"text":"Russia","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/europe\/russia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6785,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/peace-for-our-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":3},"title":"Peace for Our Time","author":"victorhanson","date":"November 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson \/\/\u00a0National Review Online\u00a0 The Iranian agreement comes not in isolation, unfortunately. The Syrian debacle instructed the Iranians that the Obama administration was more interested in announcing a peaceful breakthrough than actually achieving it. The timing is convenient for both sides: The Obama administration needed an offset\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Iran"","block_context":{"text":"Iran","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/the-world\/the-middle-east\/iran\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2945,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/an-impulsive-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":4},"title":"An ‘Impulsive’ America?","author":"victorhanson","date":"February 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson Tribune Media Services President Barack Obama's first TV interview was with the Dubai-based, partly Saudi-funded Al Arabiya satellite channel. In passing, he faulted past American policy for too readily \"dictating\" in the Middle East. He had better things to say about Saudi King Abdullah's \"courage\" in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "February 2009"","block_context":{"text":"February 2009","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/archives\/2009\/february-2009\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3165,"url":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/campaign-rhetoric-and-presidential-reality-a-brief-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":5},"title":"Campaign Rhetoric and Presidential Reality: A Brief History","author":"victorhanson","date":"December 28, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Victor Davis Hanson Tribune Media Services American presidential election rhetoric always paints the incumbent as incompetent in foreign policy, the challenger insightful and skillful. A look at recent history, however, shows that once the opposition gains office, the world suddenly becomes not so black and white. The outsider Dwight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "December 2008"","block_context":{"text":"December 2008","link":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/ahref=\/index.php\/categories\/angry-reader\/categorylink\/a\/archives\/2008\/december-2008\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2733"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2734,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2733\/revisions\/2734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/victorhanson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}