THE MESS – AT 9:17 A.M. ET: The extent of Obama's foreign-policy disaster can be seen in the way presumed Arab allies of the United States are treating this administration. We may not love those countries and their political systems, but I'd rather have them with us than against us, or even neutral. From a commentary in The Wall Street Journal:
The promise of a successful nuclear deal with Iran is that it will stop nuclear proliferation, moderate Tehran’s behavior, make the Middle East a safer place, and perhaps allow the U.S. to play a less active role in a troublesome region. Try telling that to the Arab leaders who were supposed to visit the White House and Camp David this week, but are now finding a reason not to show up.
President Obama announced the visit when he unveiled the Iran “framework” last month. The goal is to reassure the king of Saudi Arabia—along with the emirs and princes of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates—that the U.S. will continue to support them despite the nuclear deal with Iran. The President has also suggested he’ll have a “tough conversation” about their internal politics, though how another Obama lecture on good governance will ease concerns about U.S. reliability is anyone’s guess.
But at the last minute the senior Arab leaders are finding excuses not to make the trip. New Saudi King Salman pulled out on the weekend only days after confirming his attendance, and he will send lower-level officials instead. Bahrain’s king has also bowed out. These rejections can only be described as political snubs rooted in distrust of President Obama and his diplomacy.
COMMENT: Read the whole thing. As usual with Wall Street Journal editorials, it's worth it. The hype surrounding Barack Obama's entry into the presidency was almost intolerable, and that hype has never been equaled by his performance. I cannot think of a single victory for American foreign policy since Obama took the oath. And for most of that time, Hillary Clinton was his secretary of state.
The snubbing of an American president should be taken very seriously. It's a signal that allies might look elsewhere for support, or make deals with our enemies. But, really, does Obama actually care?
May 12, 2015 |