In a direct challenge to his critics, Obama declared: “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what make us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the rule of law; it’s out willingness to affirm them through our actions.”
The president is right to exercise a more cautious approach to global conflicts.
Obama’s efforts to keep the U.S. out of military conflicts are in line with the views of the American public.
The American public is rightfully war-weary after two wars that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists’ attacks. One of the reasons why there is a crisis at Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country is the large influx of veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The president argued that the terrorists’ threat has shifted from a centralized al-Qaida to an array of affiliates, which should result in a different American response.
Despite the capture of al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, the persistent use of drone attacks and the military strike in Libya, the president’s critics have persisted in calling his foreign policy response weak.
Those seeking large-scale military efforts and bellicose responses to military conflicts are unlikely to change their dangerous, irresponsible views despite the reasoned argument the president outlined is his foreign policy speech at the U.S. Military Academy.
In a powerful rebuke to his critics, Obama told the newest class of officers graduating from the U.S. Military Academy, “I would betray my duty to the country we love, if I sent you into harm’s way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed fixing or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak.”
(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
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