Speaking Softly

President Obama is often compared to Franklin Roosevelt, and while those on the left and right enjoy making this comparison for different reasons, I think that at least as it pertains to foreign policy, our new president is more akin to FDR’s distant cousin, Teddy Roosevelt.

Teddy became president in 1901 when William McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist, so in many ways there is a parallel in that neither person was necessarily expected to serve in this office. Certainly before Obama’s improbable Iowa caucus victory he was not taken seriously as contender. TR went on to become one of our more important and distinguished leaders, and one might argue that it’s been pretty much downhill for the Republicans in the hundred years since he left office.

TR was a swashbuckler, think of the cool guy in the Dos Equis commercials, known for leading his Rough Riders on the charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, and for his adventures out West in the late 19th century. He was an outsider’s outsider, not feeling the necessity of conforming to the mainstream expectations of our Eastern dominated society. Obama is certainly an outsider, he comes to the presidency without the family connections and typical aristocratic upbringing that is the general path taken by most of our political class.

TR’s famous foreign policy slogan was to speak softly and carry a big stick. At the time the size of our stick was as yet to be established, it would be another half century before the U.S. became a major force in international relations, after the Second World War. Today we certainly carry the biggest stick, and as such we are saddled with the burden of the world’s problems. This burden can also be a privilege, depending on whether one takes a isolationist or interventionist view of foreign policy. I assert that in the interconnected and interdependent 21st century, isolationism is no longer a viable alternative, especially for the globe’s dominant economic, political, cultural, and military power.

In short, what we do and say matters, not only to us but to everyone. This should not be confused with the notion that we can dictate events or that we should be trying to run other civilization’s affairs, but it is to say that we have a vital role to play. This is often a complex and delicate balance, as has been brought to light with recent events in Iran. In the interest of keeping this column to a reasonable length, I will refrain from describing the situation, but instead will provide a link for interested readers who may not be aware of the situation or who would like to read further.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

Obama has been criticized, mostly by the Right (big surprise) for not responding forcefully enough, for not roundly condemning the Iranian regime for repressing the rights of protesters. They want him to be more like our former president I suppose, one who is well known for tough talk and mostly ineffective use of the stick. The Bush administration was a nearly complete disaster as it pertains to foreign policy, and any suggestion that we should go back to the bad old days of cowboy diplomacy are laughable.

Obama has taken the right tone, he has called attention to the situation and expressed in no uncertain terms where America stands on the issue. And then he has done what the neo-cons can’t fathom, he has kept quiet.

This is an Iranian issue that is being, and will eventually be settled by a sovereign nation which represents one of the world’s greatest and longest surviving civilizations, that of the Persians who accomplishments as a people stretch back to antiquity. To dictate to the Iranians would only serve to alienate both their regime and their citizenry. By not adding unneeded fuel to the fire, we are letting events play out, which is what needs to happen in order for any real change to come out of this situation.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was recently on TV publicly calling out Obama, and by extension America for meddling and compared him to Bush. The fact that Obama has displayed discretion only serves to make the Iranian’s claims that much more laughable. The more often this guy opens his mouth the more he exposes his shallowness and lack of political intelligence. When an idiot starts running at the mouth, a general rule of debate is to get out of his way and let him dig his own grave. Our president gets this, and the way this story is playing out so far serves to validate Obama’s, and TR’s notion of foreign policy and diplomacy.