President Obama has rightfully been praised for his success in ‘getting’ Osama Bin- Laden. The arch- terrorist who was responsible for three- thousand American civilian deaths was not given any honor or respect, was finished off summarily and his
Obama's policy: seeking to appease enemies while pressuring friends.
remains deposed of in the sea.
But this Obama success, however commendable, cannot compensate for the deterioration in America’s Middle East position which has taken place during the first nearly two and one half years since Obama entered the White House. During that time Iranian influence has consistently grown while America’s has diminished.
Lebanon:The most conspicuous example of this is in Lebanon, where the Iranian backed Hizbollah now has not only the strongest military force in that country but also its controlling political power.
Iraq: Iranian influence has also grown in Iraq as America withdraws without any certainty that it has put a firm ally in power.
Egypt: In another of the most significant developments long- time US ally Egypt is showing signs of cozying up to Iran. Obama’s decision to help remove Mubarak, one which it felt most consistent with promoting a more democratic Egyptian society, now threatens to be the key step in leading to Egypt’s take- over by anti- American forces. While it is not most likely the the Muslim Brotherhood will take over in the short term in Egypt, there are clear signs that the next President of Egypt will be far more less sympathetic to the United States and far more hostile to Israel than his predecessor.
The United States nudged Mubarak out of power but when first signs of a real opposition to Ahmadinejad appeared in Iran the U.S. was largely silent.
Syria: Now as Iran’s principal ally, Syria, undergoes civilian arrest, the United States has already made a commitment that it will not intervene militarily. It has promised sanctions but the U.S. has few real economic levers against Syria. And it appears now that Bashar Assad will go on largely un-interfered with as he murders and suppresses his own people.
Turkey: Another major shift against American interests has occurred in regard to Turkey. Turkey has broken its long- term alliance with Israel and adopted a tone of belligerency toward the Jewish state. The signs have long- time been coming from the Erdogan regime. When they refused the Bush Administration rights of passage to Iraq, the writing was on the wall. But President Obama has, instead of pushing back against Erdogan, futilely placated him with empty praise.
And this points to that fundamental error of seeking to appease enemies while pressuring friends, which the Obama Administration most prominently displayed in its focusing on Israeli settlements, while wholly ignoring continuous Palestinian violations of principles for a peace- dialogue.
The reluctance to challenge those who oppose American values is a major failing of this Administration.
It is to be hoped that they will not go one mistake further, and try to cover up the Hamas charter, its aims and its behavior. This appeasing behavior has led to the somewhat ridiculous situation of American aid- recipient and political supportee Mohammed Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority, both openly criticizing President Obama and defying his calls for negotiation with Israel.
The Middle East, which was a mess to begin with, has become more of a mess with the Obama Administration’s policy.
Perhaps the assassination of Osama Bin- Laden signals a welcome change toward a more firmer policy. But at this point anyway almost all things, including the now American and NATO supported uprising in Libya, seem to be going the wrong way. %ad%
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