The guys from Powerline offer some keen psychological insight into Obama’s ridiculous foreign policy thinking. For me, the most perplexing is Obama’s tilting toward Pock-ee-stahn over India.
As Mr. Mirengoff wrote in a previous essay:
Why did Obama view Pakistan as a solid ally? Perhaps the answer lies in combination of bad advice and wishful thinking. In addition, though, the president seems to be a sucker for sketchy regimes with an anti-Western bent and a grievance (of whatever merit) against a more pro-Western nation.
by Paul Mirengoff
I wrote here and here about how President Obama tilted American policy in South Asia away from our natural ally, India, and towards Pakistan, a country with whom we have little natural affinity and whose role in Afghanistan has remained ambiguous at best. Obama’s approach to South Asia is consistent with his approach to foreign policy general. In the Middle East, he tilted away from our long-time ally, Israel. In Eastern Europe, he tilted towards an increasingly hostile Russia and away from Poland and the Czech Republic.
The pattern seems unmistakable.
Like most species, though perhaps not to the same extent, humans have an innate ability to distinguish between those who wish them well and those who don’t, and to act accordingly. Since the beginning of recorded history, peoples (whether in tribes, nation states, or some other grouping) have used this ability in dealing with other peoples. Hostility has been answered with hostility. So has ambivalence, though to a lesser degree.
A tribe or nation might ally with a one-time enemy, or even a potential future one, to defeat a current enemy. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” and all that. But a tribe or nation would only do so if it were sure that the would-be “friend” actually is the dedicated enemy of the tribe or nation’s enemy (which Pakistan is not). And in the absence of a common enemy, a powerful nation would favor its friends over its non-friends.
Why, then, is Obama’s default position to distance the U.S. from traditional friends and allies who generally share our values, and to cozy up to traditionally hostile entities who don’t?
I believe one or both of two things may be going on. The first is the quest for sophistication. Any old foreign policy analyst can follow the standard approach of treating friends better than non-friends and enemies. It takes a special, advanced thinker of a foreign policy analyst to reject this age-old wisdom as outdated or mythical. And many a baby-boomer analyst wants nothing more than to be an advanced thinker. In pop psychology terms, this rejection of the age-old wisdom may have something to do with the desire to surpass the father, a normal impulse but one that shouldn’t lead to the embrace of aburdities.
The second possibility goes beyond the quest for sophistication into a deeper emotional realm. What if the “tribe” we were born into is defective to the point that its enemies should be viewed in a favorable, or at least a neutral, light? Then, the “tribe’s” friends may not merit special consideration; if anything they may merit contempt. And even if we are ambivalent about our “tribe,” not downright disgusted with it, the traditional notion of how to treat the tribe’s friends and enemies may tend to unravel. In pop psychological terms, we’re no longer talking about the desire to surpass the father; generally speaking (though not in Obama’s particular case, to the extent his approach to foreign policy stems from ambivalence about America), we’re talking about trying to kill him.
[............]
Read the rest – Obama is standing traditional foreign policy on its head, but why?
Tags: Paul MIrengoff
Ummm…perhaps it’s because he’s:
Teh Ghey
Communist
Mohammedan?
Since he’s the first Teh Gay President, wouldn’t he be backing into Pakistan instead of tilting?
A very interesting piece from a purely psychological perspective!
As far as actual, on-the-ground political doings on the part of Obama, I’m well past the concern for “Why?”
But a very nice piece.
@ John Difool:
Well he IS Leading from Behind….
Maybe its cause he’s just an idiot? Its what happens when you put someone who is completely unqualified in a job they can’t do. I see it at work all the time.
MikeA wrote:
Бара́ка Обама is NOT an Idiot. He knows exactly what he is doing to our Country!
Macker wrote:
I believe so too. He’s trying to ruin America economically & fiscally but tells the new French president not to raise taxes and not forego implementing austerity measures.
Guess he doesn’t want to see France get ruined so he’ll have a nice place to retire too after America becomes a third world shit-hole.
MikeA wrote:
As an aside there in a nutshell is one of the major fatal flaws of affirmative action, IMHO.
@ John Difool:
“Let’s Move!”
@ Macker:
@ John Difool:
I agree with you. I was trying to be silly. He is trying to destroy this country to remake it in his image.
Makes me glad I went to the range yesterday…
Macker wrote:
I see him as a subervsive bent on our destruction, making use of useful idiots and fellow travelers. Though he is likely even playing the fellow travelers as long as they serve his purpose.
Not sure whom maybe ultimately pulling his strings, soros, the russians, or islam. Could be he is acting on his own accord, he is a narcissitic sociopath, but he does not seem to be that good. Without his lapdog media covering for him so well, he would not have been so sucessful. I don’t care so the motivation, but that he is stopped.
@ MikeA:
Saw a link on Twitter where he’s invited Russian troops to come to the U.S. for wargames with American troops. I see the link again I’ll post it.
What could possibly go wrong….
@ John Difool:
Probably scheming to take credit for ending the Cold War.
Bumr50 wrote:
Could be, but then there was a link to YouTube that showed troops with the same regiment mocking the U.S. and saying they were coming over for an invasion soon.
Really wish I would have copied those links, oh well hopefully they’ll come back around.
I wonder if the Wookie orders
obama to toss her salad
@ MikeA:
As I often say, if he were merely incompetant, he’d screw it up sometimes and do the right thing. He has an unerring instinct for doing what is counter to American interests. The logical assumption is that he knows what is in America’s interests, and chooses to do instead the opposite.
listening to my local radio show
talking about the newsweek cover “outing” Obama
lot of christians calling in saying this will push them hard into
Romneys camp because they now see that staying home is no longer an
option
@ mawskrat:
*blink**blink*
HUUUURRRRRLLLLL!!!!!!
He cannot talk about jobs so he needs to boast about peripheral issues.
Barack Obama on the economy: ” I support same sex marriage. “
@ John Difool:
Or if he’s defeated, he will move to the South of France in the tradition of ousted 3rd World Liberation leaders.
@ Speranza:
What Romney shoudl do is say “That’s nice, now about the two million jobs that have disappeared on your watch…” and hammer the Economy. Let Obama preen about Gay Marriage, and do just what he has done: support traditional marriage, but deflect back to the issue of the economy. I think Obama’s internal numbers must be abyssmal, and I know his fundraising hasn’t been up to what he wants. That is why he “came out”, as it were. I don’t think he’ll lose much of the black vote, but I think he has sacrificed most of the rest of whatever he thought he might get of the bluecollar white vote. I’ve worked in the trades (as a welder), and tolerance and diversity aren’t high on the list of priorities.
Media buzz as US confirms Russian troops to train on American soil
@ rain of lead:
Uhhmmm….. I was wondering if that was an unusual euphamism for sex. If so I would say yes, mooch is a beard, and thier kids likely conceived via turkey baster.
@ Rodan:
He could flee to Saudi Arabia like Idi Amin…
gee, never saw this coming
/
Failed Jobs President Attacks Romney on Jobs in New Ad
Barack Obama, the worst jobs president since the Great Depression, released a new ad today attacking Governor Mitt Romney on jobs.
Unbelievable.
@ citizen_q:
do not go to urban dicitionary and look up “tossing salad”
rain of lead wrote:
There are a whole lot things you shouldn’t look up there:
Blumpkin
Cleveland Steamer
Vicelroy
Jersey Turnpike
You’re welcome.
Reposted from the ONT thread:
Just finished listening to last nights BlogMoc radio show. Would’ve loved to have caklled in to this one but got tied up doing honey-do/Mothers Day stuff.
Second best program ever right behind the one with Breitbart. Nagy was great as was panoftheforest/XCitizen10 and Carolina Girl. Rodan you get better and better with every installment & you really have this interview and radio thing down and I can see you totally doing a real on the air radio program one day.
Keep up the good work.
@ John Difool:
there are some sick people in this world
@ rain of lead:
Well of course when you say it like that, I had to.
Dad used to say, you learn something new every day. I don’t think that was what he had in mind. /
@ Iron Fist:
Well Obama bats for the other team. The Saudis are not too tolerant of that!
@ John Difool:
LOL! Think I will heed your advice this time.
@ rain of lead:
The Audicity of Hope! He hopes people will believe the Big Lie, and that Romney will be like John McCain and afraid to go on the offensive. Obama has never had to deal with a political opponent that was on the offense against him. He has always advanced through skulduggery and by facing weak opponents. John McCain was the weakest candidate we could have fielded in 2008. Hopefully Romney will actually fight. If he won’t, then we are Doomed™…
@ John Difool:
has Rodan cleaned up his language some?
@ Iron Fist:
I’d like to see a shock-ad presenting Obama as a failure, so over-the-top that people will have to do a double-take to make sure it was actually a Republican ad. And with a big ad-buy.
Rodan wrote:
Donno, haven’t they figgured out an islamicly accatable rationalization in afganistan? I thought so from reading about the dancing boys. One of the reasons given was that women were considered unclean and useful only for making babies, boys were better for “fun”.
@ Rodan:
Then he should try Iran. As nice as he’s been to them, I’m sure they’d make an exception for him! Did you see where Newsweak has a cover out touting Obama as the “First Gay President”? That’
ll play well with union workers. Well, the SEIU will eat it up, but the UAW won’t be in love with him over it.
@ citizen_q:
remember there are no gheys in Iran>LOL
@ Iron Fist:
well so far it seems that Romney is at least gonna try to win
if he tries 1/2 as hard to win the presidency as he did to get the nomination….well we might have a shot
mawskrat wrote:
I didn’t hear one single invective during last nights show so, LOL, that was a historical show.
@ mawskrat:
well, at least not after they toss them off the roofs of tall buildings
mawskrat wrote:
Is Dinnerjacket visiting New York again?
@ John Difool:
Thanks for the compliment.
@ Rodan:
the last time I listened I admit has been
a long time ago. I think you were in your
cups on that show. a lot of f-bombs that night
this should make the Libs go apeshit
Sen. Rand Paul: Didn’t think Obama’s view ‘could get any gayer’
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul remarked on President Obama’s decision to publicly support same-sex marriage by saying, “Call me cynical, but I wasn’t sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.”
The comments by the Republican lawmaker from Kentucky drew big laughs at a gathering sponsored by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. A video became public after it was posted on the website “The Iowa Republican.”
“It did kind of bother me though that he used the justification for it in a biblical reference,” he continued to more laughter. “He said the biblical golden rule caused him to be for gay marriage. And I’m like what version of the Bible is he reading?…I don’t know what version he’s getting it from.”
rain of lead wrote:
Beat me to it.
I think I read an article yesterday about 4 guys being sentenced to death by hanging for sodomy in iran yesterday.
@ mawskrat:
That was the festivus.
Pocky stahn is Obama’s ally, not ours, he is working to change America after all.
Once we “change” our foreign policy interests will be aligned with his.
So sad.
rain of lead wrote:
He is shameless.
Iron Fist wrote:
Their leadership (unlike the rank and file) will still support him no matter what.
@ Iron Fist:
That is my next thread.
@ Speranza:
The leadership will, but I suspect it’ll be different for the rank and file when they are alone in the voting booth. Are they really going to pull the lever for the First Gay President? I think this is part and parcel to Obama’s decision to foresake the white middle-class blue-collar vote. He knows this decision will cost him votes there, and he doesn’t care. It is more important to losen the gay purse-strings. That Obama is taking this kind of gamble this early is surprising. I’d love to see what their internal polls are showing.
@ Speranza:
He is their god-king.
Rodan wrote:
Be sure to include the new Atlantic Monthly cover as well.
@ Iron Fist:
most folks I know in the building trades
cling to thier guns. they pay the dues
but vote conservative
Rodan wrote:
I will tune in again then
Rodan wrote:
Not your finest hour as a radio host.
Rodan wrote:
The union commissars thankfully cannot follow their membership into the polling booth.
@ Mike C.:
You have a link? I was looking and can’t find any.
@ Speranza:
That will be the Left’s next battle. Open voting, where we can see what people are voting. That way people can be intimidated.
@ Rodan:
That is what they wanted for Unions with card-check. I’ve heard rumors that they may resurrect that monstrosity in a lame-duck session. I can see sell-out Dick Lugar voting for it if they do, just out of spite. Lugar, like Specter before him, is showing us why dancing with the RINOs is always a bad idea. It’ll always come back and bite you. Those people have no loyalties.
@ Iron Fist:
Boehner will cave to Obama and it probably will pass.
@ Iron Fist:
@ Rodan:
Ah, the soon-to-be-Retired Senior Senator from Indiana. With emphasis on his first name. DICK.
@ Rodan:
Then there is this over at RS McCain’s place. $500 billion to be cut out of the defense budget when the automatic cuts dig in. You can’t tell me that that isn’t exactly what Obama wanted when the Republicans stupidly made their deal with him to raise the debt ceiling. And Obama has already spent through that money. I heard that they may have to raise the debt ceiling again before the election. They shouldn’t. Spending is way, way, way out of control. They need to cut the fucking welfare programs that are paying people not to work. Just like we need to end about half of the business regulations that are on the books right now. Less regulation means less regulators. Start laying them off, and let them find work in the private sector.
time to didi….ya’ll be good
@ Rodan:
I haven’t seen June, but May didn’t look too interesting. March O was a hero and April-Bernanke
@ Iron Fist:
We should start charging these countries that leech off us fees. If they want American protection they should pay for it.
We really need to restructure everything and review our foreign commitments. If people want to leech of us, screw them. If they want to pay for it, fine. If they are willing to man up, I say arm them and back them. That’s my foreign policy.
@ m:
The god-king (Obama) and his High Priest (Bernanke). 2 criminals bankrupting America.
It begins. A group of Occupy protestors got arrested in
Chicago this morning.
They were attempting to occupy Barack obamas reelection
headquarters.
It is going to be a wild week in Chicago.
Susana Martinez: What New Mexico’s Governor Can Teach the GOP
@ m:
I was going to email you that. I think she should be considered the VP pick.
@ Rodan:
I am certainly open to pulling back, especially in Old Europe, but we need a robust and gforward thinking military strategy. We are and should be the pre-eminant military power in the world. We should be prepared at any time to take on the next four or five strongest nations and defeat them. We need all of our carriers, all of our strategic bombers, and especially all of our strategic missile-submarines. We don’t need to back off of any of our capabilities, only maybe tinker with the mission. For example, it is more important to be countering China in the South Pacific is more important than countering Russia in Europe.
@ Iron Fist:
As usual we see eye to eye. China is threatening the Philippines. That’s a red line for me. The Philippines although Polynesian/Asian, are culturally Western. They are Catholic and have a Western (Latin) culture. They also were an America protectorate for 50 years and many Filipinos fought in WWII. They are part of our sphere of influence.
We should send Naval units to back the Filipinos. Then again, they are not Muslim and we only defend the Muzz. My bad!
@ RIX:
Which roller coaster is that!
@ RIX:
Frak! That was meant for m! 8)
@ Rodan:
You forget about the Moros. There are Mohammedans to be defended in the Phillipines. But you are right, we should defend them, up to and including war with China. I don’t think the Chinese will go that far if the Obama Administration will stand firm, but he doesn’t have a track record of having an iron spine. More like linguine. I don’ tthink Obama would go to war over the Phillipines, so China may think that now is the best time to move. Weakness invites attack. History has proven that so much so that it is practically a law of nature.
@ Iron Fist:
The Chinese are using an old claim from the Ming dynasty on the Philippines. This is red line for us and by not saying nothing about the Philippines, Obama shows his colors.
New Thread.