Foreign policy: Is Obama projecting weakness?

last updated 8 January 2015

It looks like Barack Obama has gotten played once again, said Rich Lowry in National Review. Ten months into his presidency, Obama has been “perpetually undone by the recalcitrance of foreign leaders”—from the brutal mullahs of Iran to the corrupt Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Now we can add the Chinese to the list. When he traveled to Asian capitals last week, Obama was greeted by adoring crowds—“‘Obama-san!” they screamed in Japan. But by the end of his trip, it was clear that he had failed to strengthen ties with our allies in Japan or South Korea, while kowtowing to the authoritarians in Beijing and generating “personal good will” but not a single accomplishment on trade, China’s currency, or other key issues. Obama’s hapless visit to China, where his hosts stage-managed his every appearance, was further confirmation, if any were needed, that world leaders can “stiff him, play him along, and manipulate him.” The die has been cast, said Danielle Pletka in WashingtonPost.com. Obama has essentially transformed himself into the “pied piper of American retreat.”

That’s unfair, said Richard Bush, also in WashingtonPost.com. Obama’s “major goal” in Asia was to lay the groundwork for international cooperation on highly complex issues, including the global recession, climate change, nuclear proliferation, and the war in Afghanistan. “America cannot solve these problems alone,” and Obama’s shift from the unilateralist and unproductive approach of the Bush administration at least makes progress on these many fronts possible. Critics seem to delight in belittling Obama for his “engaging personality,” but his ability to engage foreign leaders on matters of substance is a trait that, over the long run, could yield dividends.

Obama’s oratory and charm can only take him—and us—so far, said Martin Jacques in the DailyBeast.com. Indeed, China’s rapid rise drives home a reality that many Americans may prefer not to think about: The U.S. can no longer impose its will on the world with impunity. The nation has actually been in “relative decline” for years, but it took the financial meltdown for Washington to realize it can no longer take its “global supremacy for granted.” At least in Obama, the U.S. “has a president that possesses a rare characteristic for that office, humility.” He understands that “the U.S. cannot run the world on its own.” In Beijing, Obama “welcomed China’s rise as a positive and sought a relationship of partnership.” That may not lend itself to jingoistic slogans, but it’s fitting for the “new era” that the U.S. has stumbled into.