http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/foreignpolicy/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 17:13:07 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286598/posts Most liberals believe that National Security is a threat to Freedom, when in reality - National Security, is the first & last defense for Freedom for the United States, and in most cases - the entire world. The National Security of America is above & beyond almost every other Nation on earth, only Israel rivals the American forces or intelligence. We have to thank our great Servicemen, Generals, Commanders in Chief (some, not all), the Founding of this Nation, among other things. We have defeated tyranny, fascism, terrorism, socialism, marxism, communism, radicalism, etc. over the timeline of 233 years as... Jumping in Pools http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286598/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 17:13:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286404/posts The Obama administration has talked about a "reset" in Russian-American relations. But a Russian analyst shrugs his shoulders when he's asked about the term. "What happens when you press the reset button on a computer?" he muses. "It goes dark, and then after a while the same screen comes back again." Real Clear World http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286404/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 12:26:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286125/posts Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was concerned about the unintended consequences of an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. That's a sharp departure from comments that Vice President Joe Biden made earlier today. Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286125/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:53:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286021/posts Later today, the president will travel to Russia as part of a week trip through Europe and Africa. He'll stop at the Vatican, meet with the other leaders of the G8, and travel to Ghana. President Obama is scheduled to leave Washington tonight on a week-long trip that will help determine whether his personal popularity and fresh policy approaches can yield concrete results on difficult issues including arms control, missile defense and nuclear nonproliferation. The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286021/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:04:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286018/posts If Ali Khamenei and the Guardian Council had hoped to ride out the anger over the rigged presidential election, they didn’t figure on Qum. The association of Islamic leaders in the most important religious city in Iran have declared the election illegitimate, which threatens to undermine the credibility of the Khamenei regime’s claim to divine direction. If the clerics of Iran bolt, what does Khamenei have left? Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286018/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 18:01:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285001/posts It took the Obama administration eight days to figure out whether Iranians being gunned down for protesting a fraudulent election and demanding basic civil liberties deserved to be acknowledged by the President of the United States. It took the O-Team less than eight hours to side with Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega over the ouster of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285001/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 19:04:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2284906/posts There is no area in which Republicans have further strayed from our traditions than in foreign affairs. Generations of conservatives followed the great advice of our Founding Fathers and pursued a restrained foreign policy that rebuffed entangling alliances and advised America, in the words of John Quincy Adams, not to "go abroad looking for dragons to slay." Sen. Robert Taft, the stalwart of the Old Right, urged America to stay out of NATO. Dwight Eisenhower was elected on a platform promising to get us out of the conflict in Korea. Richard Nixon promised to end the war in Vietnam. Republicans... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2284906/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 16:11:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284043/posts Punditry is easy. Policy is hard. Okay, to be fair, writing articles and speeches that are powerful and persuasive is a demanding job. But crafting sound policy adds layers of complexity. Example: President Kennedy pledged that Americans will “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Very inspiring. But try translating that into policies toward Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Russia, China, Venezuela, and Burma. That’s tough. Policies can solve one problem and exacerbate others. An argument can be made for shutting down oil... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284043/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 13:55:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282773/posts The New Republic splits from the Obama administration and scolds Barack Obama over his response to the removal of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Francisco Toro accuses Obama of “fetishizing” the presidency and ignoring the facts on the ground. The military may have conducted a coup, but it did so at the unanimous behest of the legislature and the Honduran Supreme Court — and for good reason (h/t HA reader Desmond L): Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282773/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:19:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282123/posts The president called the coup "illegal" and said the U.S. continues to recognize deposed President Manuel Zelaya the leader of Honduras. Now, if we are to follow this to its logical conclusion, then this means that we won't recognize the new government. That means we would have to remove our ambassador from the nation. We'd cut off aid and all diplomatic ties. As such, we would wind up with more diplomatic ties with Venezuela than with Honduras. The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282123/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:43:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281721/posts It’s difficult to make sense out of the foreign policy coming out of the White House under Barack Obama. On the one hand, Obama insisted that he could not interfere with the internal politics of the “sovereign government of Iran,” refusing for days to even condemn Iran for its flagrantly violent repression of dissent. When Honduras’ military staged a coup, though, Obama apparently had no such reticence in involving the US on behalf of deposed President Manuel Zelaya — a close ally of Hugo Chavez: Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281721/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:36:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281592/posts President Obama's unwillingness to provide wholehearted support for the objectives of those seeking to topple the murderous, America-hating regime in Iran has left some observers scratching their heads. But to many old foreign policy hands, Obama's tepid approach has invoked a knowing smile of appreciation for the president's foreign policy "realism." Powerline Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281592/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:45:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281434/posts This morning, in a daring pre dawn raid, the President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was arrested by military force and forced into exile in Costa Rico. The Congress then elected its leader, Roberto Micheletti, to replace Zelaya. The military acted on the order of the Honduran Supreme Court. The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281434/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:01:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281322/posts That doesn't even come from me. That comes from this Oped in the Washington Post. Still, by now it ought to be clear that the best chance to protect what Mr. Obama calls "core U.S. security interests" lies in a victory for the Iranian opposition. That may look unlikely for now. But it is considerably more probable than a turn toward detente by those now engaged in murdering young women. There may not be much that can be done to help the opposition, though some tangible steps -- more money for broadcasting into the country, for example -- are readily... The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281322/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:15:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281319/posts There’s never been a better time to be an enemy of the United States of America. Whether you’re a trained jihadist in US custody, a diminutive cult leader starving his own people while developing nukes, or part of a ruthless regime that murders dissidents in broad daylight, you can rest assured that the United States government is unlikely to act—or perhaps even speak—in a manner likely to disrupt your daily routine. While invoking “our values,” hailing the importance of American humility, and rejecting the “failed policies of the past,” the current administration is projecting a dangerous image to the world Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281319/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:13:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281276/posts That's what I was thinking about when I was reading this column by Obama supporter, Michael Crowley. Crowley lays out a very strong case for why things are in trouble. Then, he says not to worry. Only, the way in which Obama will succeed seems something akin to magic. First, Crowley lays out why Obama maybe on the brink of serious problems. The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281276/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:31:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281136/posts isn't exactly like dancing on Neda's grave, but it's close enough to make decent people uncomfortable. Neda is -- or rather was -- Neda Agha Soltan, 26, the beautiful young student whose apparently random murder on the streets of Tehran by a regime thug was captured on video and transmitted around the world. Neda's become as much the symbol of the resistance in Iran as the young man who stood in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989 was of the democracy movement in China. http://post-gazette.com/pg/09179/980161-373.stm#ixzz0JjhTV7Qd&D Post-Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2281136/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:43:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281113/posts Friday, June 19, 2009 Obama's 3AM Phone Call Obama's 3AM Phone Call : Dry Bones cartoon. During the Hillary Clinton / Barack Obama primary battle, Hillary famously asked whether we'd feel safe with a President Obama answering a crisis phone call at 3AM. What she was questioning was his sense of judgment. Well, it seems to me that it's 3AM, the phone is ringing, and I'm afraid that for a lot of us it's a wake-up call. Your thoughts? Labels: Bolivia, China, Darfur, Iran, Islam, Mexico, North Korea, Nukes, Obama, Pakistan, Peru, Pirates, Settlements, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tamil, Terrorism,... http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/obamas-3am-phone-call.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281113/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:55:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280825/posts first wrote that all of Barack Obama’s promises come with expiration dates, and broken promises from politicians are nothing new, of course. However, one usually expects politicians — especially those running on hope and change — to either remain true to their professed core values and the issues that fueled the most passion on the campaign trail, or at least explain their change in the daylight. Obama did neither, nor did he apologize to the man he besmirched endlessly on the campaign trail while adopting the policy that Obama most demonized as a candidate. Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280825/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:13:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280011/posts Wooing Moscow by: Emily Kanyi, June 25, 2009 Days ahead of the President’s planned visit speculations are rife in Washington as to what the outcome of his Moscow trip will be. During a June 24, 2009 conference held at the Hudson Institute, a Washington D.C. based think tank, a panel of experts expressed little hope that Obama’s visit will succeed in mending relations between the two countries. “Whatever optimism there might be about Obama reaching out to Russia [is] unrealistic,” said David Satter, a senior fellow at Hudson and former Moscow correspondent. Satter called for the President to exercise caution... Campus Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2280011/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:23:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276730/posts In its simplest philosophical explanation, the revolution in Iran is a battle of wills. Will the Mullahs impose their will on the protesters or will the protesters impose their will on the Mullahs? So far at least, the protesters are imposing their will on the Mullahs. On Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei laid down a very clear marker. In no uncertain terms, he demanded that all demonstrations would end. On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators defied those orders and went to the streets. The longer the demonstrators take to the streets the more they will be imposing their will onto the Mullahs The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276730/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:21:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276317/posts There are many different reasons why President Obama doesn't want to be more forceful in his language in condemning the Iranian government's crackdown against the protesters. Bill O'Reilly believes that coming out too strong could mean that the Iranians will step up attacks in both Iraq and Afghanistan. There is another school of thought that getting to close to the protesters means that the regime would use that as a means of isolating the demonstrators. Still, others believe, cynically, that Obama wants to hedge his bet. If he comes out too much in favor of the protesters, then he will... The Provocateur http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276317/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:47:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276315/posts Her name was Neda, which means “voice” in Farsi. According to numerous online accounts picked up by media outlets worldwide, she was shot in the streets by Iranian state police while protesting today. This is what repression looks (warning: graphic): Michelle Malkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276315/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:46:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276000/posts The polite explanation for Barack Obama’s diffidence on Iran is that he doesn’t want to give the mullahs the excuse to say the Great Satan is meddling in Tehran’s affairs. So the president’s official position is that he’s modestly encouraged by the regime’s supposed interest in investigating some of the allegations of fraud. Also, he’s heartened to hear that OJ is looking for the real killers. “You've seen in Iran,” explained President Obama, “some initial reaction from the Supreme Leader that indicates he understands the Iranian people have deep concerns about the election . . . ” “Supreme Leader”? I... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2276000/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275355/posts Where is President Barack Obama? The whole world wonders. As people who yearn to free themselves from the yoke of oppression look to our president for guidance, the purported leader of the free world dithers on Iran. As the great and historically unprecedented upheaval continues, one of the greatest orators of our time, has become a sideshow, his response to the crisis reduced to issuing tepid, cautious, lawyerly equivocations. On Iran, Barack Obama is held captive to his firmly held conviction in the post-modernist concept of moral equivalence. The doctrine of moral equivalence was not only a pivotal and indispensable... examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275355/posts#comment Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:26:40 GMT