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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 5, 2009
/ 9 Adar 5769
A dangerous naivete in foreign policy
By
Kevin Ferris
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In June, John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was writing about candidate Barack Obama's "naive and dangerous approach to foreign policy."
So far, on the Mideast, North Korea, and other issues, President Obama and his team haven't dispelled that impression.
"This is a critical time for the United States in foreign policy and national security," Bolton said Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. "And it's already evident that the challenges we face may be more than this administration can handle."
Granted, it's early. Bolton acknowledged in an interview before the conference that all new administrations have to settle in, switching from campaign mode to governing. And that process is under way.
In Canada, Obama more or less admitted that all the bluster about NAFTA last year was a sop to Democratic primary voters.
In the war on terror, antiwar rhetoric has given way to reality. Gone is the 16-month timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. The closing of Guantanamo is now so complex it must be studied. Torture is out, but aggressive interrogation techniques? Maybe. And the CIA detention centers overseas are closed, well, except for the temporary ones. But the CIA doesn't build permanent bases overseas, Bolton pointed out at CPAC.
But don't be fooled about where Obama stands, Bolton said. "Being inconsistent or deceptive is not the same as being a moderate."
In other areas, Bolton said he believed the Obama team had shown an alarming mix of ideology, naivete and inexperience.
Start with the emphasis on negotiations in the Mideast, from Iran's nuclear program to the appointment of George Mitchell as the Israeli-Palestinian envoy. Talks can work in most cases, Bolton said, but not in all. And the focus must be clear.
"Appointing an envoy to the Mideast at this point, when you don't know what you want to come out of it, shows a blind faith in negotiations," Bolton said in the interview. "It shows faith in a process, not in substance. And it's substance that will make a difference."
On Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent trip to Asia, Bolton sees a secretary of state who hasn't switched from campaigning to policy-making. "That should've started before she got on the plane to leave the country," Bolton said.
Bolton criticized Clinton's call to revive the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program - just as he was critical of those talks during the Bush administration, her shout out to the wisdom of Bill Clinton's approach to North Korea, her failure to cite Pyongyang's nuclear-proliferation efforts in the Mideast and the administration's apparent willingness to allow North Korea a "peaceful" nuclear program.
Recent missile tests suggest the intentions of a North Korea or Iran are anything but peaceful.
"They are not motivated by an abstract interest in astrophysics," Bolton said at CPAC. "They are delivery systems for nuclear weapons."
The U.N. conference on racism planned for April also raises warning flags, Bolton said before Thursday's speech. The United States walked out of the first gathering in Durban, South Africa, in September 2001. It had been billed as "a landmark in the struggle to eradicate all forms of racism," but produced an anti-Israel manifesto. The Bush administration had refused to join preparatory sessions for the second conference.
Bolton was at the State Department in 2001, attending staff meetings where it was made clear that Durban was "headed for a train wreck." Bolton recalled, "It was apparent that Secretary (Colin) Powell didn't like walking out, but we couldn't legitimize that document."
Last month, Obama sent a team to the preliminary sessions, hoping to "change the direction" of the conference. But the administration was already backing off, according to reports Friday.
"This is a humiliating position for the United States to be in," Bolton said. "You either sign onto a document that's unacceptable or pull back out again. This will cause more damage to the new administration than they realize. ... Showing weakness and inexperience is never a good thing."
And unlike the challenges that then-Vice President-elect Joe Biden predicted for the new administration, this one did not come from foreign leaders. This wound was "entirely self-inflicted," Bolton said.
These challenges and others - from Russia to China to U.N. efforts that harm U.S. sovereignty - all add to Bolton's belief that the United States has in Obama its most radical president.
"That's the bad news," he told CPAC. "The good news is, if we get our act together, he is a one-term president."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Kevin Ferris is commentary page editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Previously:
02/25/09: Beware dialogue on race
12/29/08: Chicago II: A governor's story
12/11/08: Operator: Welcome to transition hotline
12/03/08: How Obama will fight a growing front in Afghanistan
11/25/08: GOP ahead of curve for change
11/13/08: Prayers for President-elect Barack Obama
10/03/08: Obama's lowball attacks: Suggesting that McCain is a bigot runs afoul of the high-minded unity tripe
09/06/08: It's unlikely that a President McCain would be driven by political ideology
09/04/08: Bold McCain will sharpen the contrasts
© 2008, Philadelphia Inquirer Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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