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US President Barack Obama does have a foreign policy. It's called war.
The President has not defined any real difference between his hawkish approach to international issues and that of his predecessor, former US President George W. Bush.
Where's the change we can believe in?
Bush left a legacy of two wars, neither of which was ever explained or justified. Obama has merely picked up the sword that Bush left behind in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The President gave short shrift to foreign policy in his State of the Union address, mentioning neither the lives lost nor the cost of the global hostilities that the U.S. has involved itself in. He also didn't mention U.S. policies in the Middle East, though those are the root cause of many problems.
Obama said he was keeping his promise to leave Iraq by the end of August.
Meanwhile, frequent bombings continue in that beleaguered country.
Afghanistan is a different story. U.S. forces there are involved in manhunts of al-Qaida and Taliban leaders. But the cost in civilian life is heavy when drones are used and whole families have been wiped out to get one suspected leader.
The U.S. seems to have convinced the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan that it's their war too.
The U.S. military web has spread to Yemen, where American intelligence teams have joined Yemeni troops in planning missions against al-Qaida elements. Scores have been killed there.
Then there's the ramped-up U.S. saber-rattling toward Iran.
In his speech, Obama warned Iran of "consequences" if it didn't play ball and cooperate on nuclear inspections. It's unclear whether those consequences are of the financial variety or of a pre-emptive military strike by the U.S. or Israel.
All this comes at a time when the U.S. has bolstered its naval presence in the Gulf and the neo-conservatives are calling for "regime change" in Iran.
There are new tensions in other parts of the world. China is upset with the U.S. $6 billion-plus arms sale to its nemesis, Taiwan.
And so this president takes his place among other U.S. chief executives who have sought the glory of leading the nation in military conflict. He has attained the desired status of "War President."
PHOTO CAPTION
U.S. President Barack Obama
By Helen Thomas
Source: commondreams.org
