Sturm: Countering Lawlessness, Putin's and Obama's

The Aspen Times (CO) ^ | March 27, 2014 | Melanie Sturm

[Aspenhuskerette]

Since Teddy Roosevelt counseled, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” U.S. presidents mostly have followed his advice, cautioning adversaries to resolve conflicts peacefully or suffer consequences.

Even President Carter brandished America’s big stick upon learning that bad things happen when you’re not respected, prompting him to Think Again about deterrence given “the Soviets’ ultimate goals.”

But today, after unilaterally “resetting” relations with repressive regimes including Iran and Russia — whose Ukraine incursion is “the gravest threat to European security and stability since the end of the Cold War,” proclaimed NATO’s chief — America’s posture is more akin to “speak loudly and carry a toothpick.”

By not anticipating and mitigating gathering threats or adhering to our peace-through-strength tradition, America now “leads from behind.” We neither back good actors nor punish bad, nor are we perceived as tough and reliable enough to deter menacing behavior, rendering us “harmless as an enemy and treacherous as a friend,” as Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis feared.

Conversely, on the domestic front, President Obama speaks powerfully and wields a bludgeon — a pen, a phone and a pledge to circumvent Congress by unilaterally re-writing, ignoring or negating laws he is constitutionally bound to “faithfully execute.”

[Aspenhuskerette]

Other pull quote:

Voters opposed to authoritarian governments with rubber-stamp legislatures — and their lawlessness — must stop the assault on America’s uniquely calibrated political system by speaking loudly and badgering politicians with big electoral sticks.

[moovova]

“Speak softy and carry a big reset button.”

[moovova]

Great article, by the way...I look forward to more “Think Again” submissions. My favorite (and the scariest) paragraph:

“By not anticipating and mitigating gathering threats or adhering to our peace-through-strength tradition, America now “leads from behind.” We neither back good actors nor punish bad, nor are we perceived as tough and reliable enough to deter menacing behavior, rendering us “harmless as an enemy and treacherous as a friend,” as Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis feared.”