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| How will foreign leaders be able to trust America after Obama? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 17 2014, 08:51 PM (362 Views) | |
| Berton | Mar 18 2014, 10:51 AM Post #11 |
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I understand why you do not want to answer my question colo_crawdad. |
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| Berton | Mar 18 2014, 10:55 AM Post #12 |
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America’s Credibility from Bad to Worse No doubt, the George W. Bush administration botched the intelligence that justified much of its push into Iraq. The narrative of “Bush lied, people died,” is nonsense of course. The problem was that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein bluffed his own generals and aides. When Americans tapped into their phone calls, they heard Saddam’s lieutenants discussing such weapons as if they had them, and when American spies debriefed their Iraqi counterparts, there was no sign of deception because many of the defectors believed the information they conveyed. Nevertheless, critics of the Iraq war are absolutely correct to say that the fact that the intelligence turned out to be wrong undercut American credibility on the world stage. The next time some future Colin Powell goes before the United Nations to reveal a case for war or for anything else utilizing American intelligence, conspiracy theorists will have a field day. When it comes to lost credibility, the corrosive effect of the Iraq WMD debacle is an order of magnitude below the damage to American credibility caused by America’s callous disregard for its allies. In 1994, the United States (and the United Kingdom and Russia) signed an agreement with Ukraine as part of its forfeiture of nuclear weaponry: Russia promised to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, and the United States and Great Britain agreed to help protect it. That Budapest Memorandum, it turns out, has become meaningless. So too were American promises to Georgia in 2008. And American promises to Poland and the Czech Republic with regard to missile defense. The Obama administration’s decision to slash American assistance to Israel’s missile defense—while at the same time enabling between $7 billion and $20 billion in sanctions relief and new investment into Iran—likewise undercuts any lingering hope in Israel or among Israel’s defenders in the United States that Obama would lift a finger if Iranian leaders act on their promise to annihilate the Jewish state...... LINK |
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| Deleted User | Mar 19 2014, 09:44 AM Post #13 |
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What would you suggest he do other than sanctions? Start a war with what is still essentially another super power. This is really a European issue, not an American one anyway. It is really not the business of the US to do anything other than condemn tne action and impose whatever sanctions it can. Even Europe cannot do much they are totally reliant on Russian energy. When you think about it is this really any diferent than the US annexation on Hawaii, look up its history. Not that it justifies what Russia is doing, but there are precidents. |
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| Pat | Mar 19 2014, 10:02 AM Post #14 |
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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Although I agree that America took a big credibility hit by failing to help the Ukraine as I'm sure they had banked on, the underlying lesson to be learned is that we had no business sticking our nose in a European-Russian issue to begin with. Israel and othrr countries half way around the world should take note, we have withdrawn in all but rhetoric. Let Europe solve it. |
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| Neutral | Mar 19 2014, 10:14 AM Post #15 |
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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Meanwhile, Putin is laughing at us. |
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| Berton | Mar 19 2014, 10:39 AM Post #16 |
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I would suggest he does some REAL sanctions. I have not advocated war. Only left wingers suggest that. |
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| Deleted User | Mar 19 2014, 12:20 PM Post #17 |
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Like what? |
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| tomdrobin | Mar 19 2014, 12:28 PM Post #18 |
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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Obie is doing sanctions. Personally I think we should mind our own business. |
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| Deleted User | Mar 19 2014, 01:35 PM Post #19 |
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Sanctions are fine, they at least send a message that the rest of the world considers it unacceptable, however short of military intervention, there is little that can be done. The US could help Ukraine shore up its military, but I suspect Crimea is a done deal. If the vast majority there were not ethic Russians it would have been easier, but with the majproty there wanting to be a part of Russia, its more complex. |
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| colo_crawdad | Mar 19 2014, 08:25 PM Post #20 |
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Fire & Ice Senior Diplomat
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Question. What left wingers have you read or heard advocating war? Certainly none on this forum. |
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10:21 PM Jul 11
