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Community Corner

Whether Obama Should Get Tough on Foreign Policy

David Mirsky wrote that it is “time to get tough on foreign policy” (pointing to Hamas, Iran and Putin).  I wish to respond.

Although Mirsky did not spell out what “getting tough” means (he simply suggests Obama should work with “moderate Republican Senators like John McCain”), presumably it means boots on the ground (or at least heavy bombing), since threats of such action wear thin quickly.

 We have seen the results of such approach -- loss of thousands of GI lives (and health consequences for many more), killing of hundreds of thousands of foreign noncombatants, expenditure of trillions of dollars (putting us in debt to China), and (of course) huge profits for US war contractors -- all without any discernible lasting impact on how overseas despots operate. 

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Mirsky says “Forget about how clever or charismatic President Barack Obama is, he cannot defeat Vladimir Putin by being nice. ... We can stop Putin by working together with our allies to cut him off from the economic lifelines that his country needs.”  Such international effort is exactly what Obama has been pursuing (hampered by Europe’s need for Russian oil).

Mirsky seizes upon the phrase “peace in our time” in Obama’s second inaugural address to equate the President’s approach to that of Neville Chamberlain in 1938.  Of course Obama did not use the phrase in such context -- only to underscore our withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan and point out that pursuing peace requires addressing root causes of violence.

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Mirsky succumbs to a GOP tendency not only to vilify anything Obama says or does but to see Obama as a naive fool who believes that all problems can be resolved through “nice-guy” diplomacy.   A careful look at how our negotiating teams have proceeded belies such an impression. 

Meanwhile Obama is criticized for spying on citizens and allies, over-use of drones and executive imperialism.  When a Republican accosted him about appeasement, Obama said he should ask Osama bin Laden about that.

One thing I agree with Mirsky about is that “we can use a little peace and a little bit of order and respect for American ideals.”  Mirsky points to the New England football coach, I would also point to the German soccer coach -- all good coaches focus on how to pursue their team’s interests.  Instead of being “tough” the key is to be smart, to hover while the opponent wears himself down. 

Obama wisely seeks some breathing space from military engagement, a time to reset, fix internal problems and set an example for the world of how a well-regulated free-enterprise democracy can perform. 

Don Nolte, Exeter NH

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