Accused by critics of pursuing a weak foreign policy in confronting major challenges such as Ukraine and Syria, US President Barack Obama has asserted that while America must always lead on the global stage, it need not be through military action in every instance.
In a major address delivered from the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, on Wednesday, Obama cautioned against the tendency to get militarily entangled overseas frequently and made the case for partnering with other countries to deal with many of the problems.At the same time, he made it clear that the US will not flinch from unilateral military actions when its interests are threatened. As he put it, “The United States will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it — when our people are threatened, when our livelihoods are at stake, when the security of our allies is in danger.”
“Here’s my bottom line: America must always lead on the world stage. If we don’t, no one else will,” Obama said, stressing: “But US military action cannot be the only — or even primary — component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.”“And because the costs associated with military action are so high, you should expect every civilian leader — and especially your Commander-in-Chief — to be clear about how that awesome power should be used,” he added.
Although the American public is known to be war-weary in the wake of the extended military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama has been facing intense criticism from the Republicans over his approach to the crisis in Ukraine and the civil war in Syria. Dealing with the critics, who have included the likes of Senators John McCain and lindsey Graham, Obama stated pointedly: “We still need to ask tough questions about whether our actions are proportional and effective and just.”
He went on argue that since World War II, some of America’s most costly mistakes came not from its restraint, but from its willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences — without building international support and legitimacy for our action.
Obama also said that he was “haunted” by the deaths of US troops, adding: “I would betray my duty to you, and to the country we love, if I sent you into harm’s way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed to be fixed.”
He, however, identified terrorism as the most direct threat, and proposed a $5 billion fund to help governments in the Middle East and North Africa fight terrorism. In the case of Syria, he pledged to work with Congress to ramp up support for those elements in the Syrian opposition who “offer the best alternative to terrorism and a brutal dictator”.
Obama’s address had no reference to his much-touted “Asia pivot”. The only reference to India came in an altogether different context, when he commented: “From Brazil to India, rising middle classes compete with us (Americans), and governments seek a greater say in global forums.”Reacting to Obama’s comments, Senator McCain faulted him for not combining “our tools of soft power and hard power in order to avoid conflict, secure our interests and ideals, and meet our challenges through effective deterrence and diplomacy”.
“The President’s failure in this regard can be seen in Russia’s aggression in Europe, China’s coercion of US allies and partners in Asia, Syria’s transformation into a regional sectarian conflict, the growth of Al-Qaeda across the Middle East and North Africa, and elsewhere,” McCain commented.