Why is it that every time something happens in the world, it’s our responsibility to take charge and lead the response? Well it might have something to do with the “don’t push the button” foreign policy that the Obama administration has seemed to adapt to all too well. I’m referring to the old saying or scenario of being placed in a room with a big red button that says, “don’t push.” As we know, human nature has curiosity and will push that button, maybe five or six times.
If not familiar with this notion, I recommend you take a look as it is a little bit funny. Now bringing this back to foreign policy, the president likes to set up these scenarios where there’s an ultimatum, such as pushing the button, through threats and warnings. For example, Iran has been playing this game with us for some time. They have consistently crossed the “red line” with really no repercussions to ensure there are no violent tendencies associated with their uranium development.
Here we go again with Ukraine, a country that has a complicated history with both Europe and Russia and should belong within the European Union community instead of remaining under ‘neo’ Soviet control. President Obama has once again put us in the position of saying we will not tolerate Russian interference with the struggle for a new government in Ukraine. However, the next day I wake up only to find that Russia has invaded Crimea, Ukraine.
Now the problem with this foreign policy is that we are now required to respond and be a front leader against this Russian aggression. No one is responding to these threats with any fear resulting in a situation where the United States looks not only weak, but also inherently stupid. We need to discontinue warning action unless we are prepared to take on that responsibility, which in any of the cases in the last six years has not been our place.
It’s frustrating to think that the president is playing this game even after he has proven that it doesn’t work. Putin has been and will continue to be a problem, yet Obama came to the table unprepared to deal with such a hostile and rough leader. The Olympics just recently came to a close. Russia maintained an image of willingness to cooperate and moderate openness, yet a week later, Russian troops invade one of its national neighbors.
Now we will do the same thing that the Obama administration has always done, wait for the United Nations to come up with a solution. A solution that Russia will probably ignore because it will take around two weeks for a solution to be formalized.
This, in my opinion, is where the United Nations fails. There is no ability to execute their power in a quick and decisive fashion. They instead choose to prolong the conflict through creating contracts and sanctions that rarely work when they should be enacting an immediate response that would end the conflict entirely.
This speaks to where we are as a nation on the international stage. We try to be ever present in dealing with conflicts, but at the same time, not be the world police that we once were. Considering the burden that it brought along with it. America is like a high school teenager struggling to find their self identity and find their place in the world. We would like to be the tough guy who can get all the girls and beat up nerds, but are beginning to realize that we aren’t receiving praise for such actions, but denouncement. Going around and dealing with every problem that arises has its consequences, yet the current administration would rather take a back seat instead of moving into the driver seat toward action.
I think it’s time we stop telling everyone to stop pushing the button unless we are ready to have that button expel military force. JFK once stated “Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.”
Do you believe that the United States should serve as the world’s police? Please send all of your feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
