Reaping The "Smart Power" Whirlwind

by JASmius

When Barack Obama employs the term "smart power" to describe his foreign policy philosophy, what he really meant was "no power". Because he subscribes to the hard-left nostrum that America is the source of evil in the modern world, and that the world would be better off without an assertive, engaged U.S. hyperpower exerting the full weight of its global influence, he has done everything in his power to downgrade America's role on the world stage.

Combine this factor with his naked hostility towards Israel and repeated attempts to bulldoze Benjamin Netanyahu towards committing national suicide in the name of "peace," and you get the following story:

The Obama administration is making a last-ditch effort to head off a major diplomatic embarrassment over the looming Palestinian request for recognition of its statehood at the United Nations.

The United States is applying diplomatic pressure on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to persuade them to reopen negotiations before the United Nations can take action.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said he will take the request for full recognition as a state to the U.N. Security Council in the coming week.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sent special envoys David Hale and Dennis Ross to the region to hold talks with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Guardian reported.

And State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday that Washington would “leave no stone unturned” to avoid a U.N. vote and get the Israelis back into peace talks, according to the Telegraph.

“Washington is keen to avoid carrying out a threat to veto a Palestinian request for full membership of the U.N., a move likely to further damage America’s already battered reputation in the Middle East, particularly following its strong backing for moves toward self-determination in the region this year,” the Guardian observed.

What's that? America's reputation in the Middle East is "battered"? But, but, how can this be? Weren't we told by President Awesome that America's reputation in the Middle East had been damaged nearly beyond repair by George W. Bush's War On Terror? That we were seen as rampaging, torture-mongering imperialists bent on stamping out Islam worldwide and looting the Arab world of its oil resources? That the one and only guaranteed way of rebuilding the U.S.'s stature in the "international community" was to embark on a global groveling tour apologizing for our many unforgivable sins and hunker down in a fetal crouch of meekness and humility as "just another country" and let the rest of the world pursue its own respective self-determinations unfettered by American "interference"? And that the rest of the world would fall in love with us as result?

Well. How's that gambit working out? Just as a lot of us expected it would. Iran's still building its nuclear arsenal, which is encouraging its Arab neighbors to jump into a regional nuclear arms race; the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has taken over Egypt, and al Qaeda is absorbing Libya, both thanks to Red Barry's moronic assistance; the only thing checking these regional powderkegs is Turkey's Islamist/neoOttoman ambitions, except that they all are vying to be the lead Muslim power in annihilating Israel and finishing the genocidal job Adolph Hitler started.

And then there are the "Palestinians," a fictitious ethnicity and group of pawns that have been manipulated and exploited by the Islamic world for decades as the principle means of eroding Israeli national security and will from within. And whence cometh this drive by the Pals for official UN recognition? Because King Hussein gave them every reason to believe that he shared that goal and would back them to the hilt. Between his calls for a universal halt to any and all Israeli settlement construction even in East Jerusalem and his demand that Israel withdraw to the indefensible pre-1967 borders - which, if you'll recall, encouraged three separate pan-Arab attacks upon the Jewish State - Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas alike have been encouraged to raise their expectations of what they could get out of the Obama Regime diplomatically.

All this turmoil, unrest, and instability is what happens when a power vaccuum is introduced into an inherently volatile region. It's the nature of international politics: the currency of the world stage is military power and the willingness to use it. It's what provides the leverage for states to use diplomacy and economic sanctions as alternative tools of statecraft. It is the source of a country's respect abroad. Or, in plain, non-Vulcan English, it is far better to be feared than liked.

Barack Obama has gone out of his way to convince the rest of the world, most especially enemies like Iran, Syria, Russia, Red China, North Korea, Venezuela, and newly converted foes like Egypt and Turkey, that American power will not stand in the way of their respective ambitions, and will soon no longer exist at all. And whaddaya know, the rest of the world bought it - and all the bad guys are acting accordingly.

The only thing I don't understand is why the Regime is even considering vetoing the Pals' UN statehood bid. Isn't this what The One wanted? Doesn't it fit hand-in-glove with his whole "Arab spring" gimmick?

Oh, yeah. Because after all, what the world needs most of all is four more years of the Obamidency.

And so the Middle East, free of that suffocating, meddlesome American hegemony, spins further into chaos:

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Netanyahu plans to address the U.N. General Assembly on the same day that Abbas delivers a speech calling for Palestinian statehood.

“The General Assembly is not a place where Israel usually receives a fair hearing,” Netanyahu said. “But I still decided to tell the truth before anyone who would like to hear it.”

According to the Times, “the announcement suggests that the Israeli government now has little faith in the last-ditch effort by U.S. and European negotiators to stop the Palestinian drive for statehood at the U.N.”

But hardline Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned on Wednesday that there would be “harsh and grave” consequences if the Palestinians go ahead with their plan to seek statehood, although he did not specify what those consequences might be.

The Pals want a "one-state solution," the Israelis will not allow themselves to be "wiped off the map," and thanks to his goosing the expectations of the former and pissing in the face of the latter, Barack Obama has neutered his influence with both.

Congratulations, Barry, on a "smart power" mission accomplished.

[cross-posted @ Hard Starboard]