Victor Davis Hanson on our foreign policy
An excellent look at our current foreign policy -- from
National Review Online:
�Bush Did It� Is Not a Foreign Policy
Not being George W. Bush while apologizing for America�s purported sins is not a foreign policy.
Ronald Reagan came into office with the idea of rolling back the Soviet Union. Reagan hoped that such an evil empire might collapse from its inability to match a newly confident United States.
George H. W. Bush sought to oversee a peaceful dissolution of the Soviet empire, the reunification of Germany, and a new Western-led world order that thugs such as Manuel Noriega or Saddam Hussein could not disrupt.
Bill Clinton pushed Western-inspired liberal globalization to lift the Third World out of poverty.
After 9/11, George W. Bush sought to keep America safe from another round of Islamic terrorism while promoting Middle East constitutional government as a way of weakening Islamic terrorism.
But what exactly does Barack Obama wish to accomplish abroad?
In interviews and speeches, Obama emphasizes his nontraditional background and his father�s Islamic heritage. Apparently, he hopes that by reminding the world that he is not George W. Bush, America will be better liked.
But without a strategic vision, �Bush did it� leads nowhere � given that most of the world�s problems predated and transcend Bush. Obama doesn�t seem to understand than wanting people to like America is only a means to an end, not a policy in itself � and an especially dubious means, given the character of many nations in the world today.
Excellent stuff -- Dr. Hanson is one of my favorite writers and analysts.
Posted by DaveH at June 17, 2010 7:07 PM