Theories of Government
One theory of government is that countries "vent" about American behavior, specifically about their history with us and now about President Bush's "crimes" and "arrogance." If they say or do something ugly, impolitic, dangerous or obnoxious to President Obama, it is cathartic, following which they will be America's, or at least the President's friends. At which point the world will become a safer and better place for all.
North Korea's missile launch and the ouster of UN inspectors; Iran's conviction of an Iranian-American woman on espionage charges and Iranian President Ahmadinejad's speech at Natanz, ("You Are Weak, Your Hands Are Empty, And You Can't Force Us to Do Anything, Nearly 7,000 Centrifuges Are Spinning Today"); Hugo Chavez's gift of the Spanish-language book, "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent"; Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's screed at this past weekend's Summit of the Americas; even Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy's rejection of Obama's main requests (stimulus spending, more troops for Afghanistan and taking prisoners from Gitmo) - all of these were just a way to put the past behind them.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) who attended the Ortega speech said, "Obama rose above it." Indeed, the President has been uniform in his travels, discussing America's mistakes, shortcomings, difficulties and failures while listening to his hosts discuss America's mistakes, shortcomings, difficulties and failures. The President appears to believe that listening to his critics and shaking their hands, our policies and their policies will change and better relations will ensue.
We appreciate President Obama's emphasis on soft diplomacy, but we wish he'd had a good word for America's Peace Corps and the tens of thousands of Americans who have given their time and effort over the years to help our neighbors in South America and elsewhere, while he was lauding the Cuban dictator's doctors.
There is another theory of government. Countries mean what they say and have interests to pursue regardless of who is president of the United States. To many countries, the fact that we have presidential elections is a sign of our weakness because each agenda can last only four or eight years, while they operate on a longer time line - the mullahs have had more than 30 years of uninterrupted rule and pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Iran exports the Islamic Revolution and pursues nuclear capability/weaponry because Ahmadinejad, but more importantly the mullahs, believe in the spread of radical Shiite Islam. North Korea is pursuing nuclear weaponry and launch capability because it is essential to the longevity of the regime. Abu Mazen and Hamas believe the creation of Israel was a mistake that needs to be corrected either by political intervention or by war. Assad's Syria is attached to Iran for religious, financial and political reasons. Chavez, Ortega and Bolivia's Evo Morales pick fights with the United States and subvert democratic norms at home because they are anti-American, anti-democratic and want to stay in power.
We are unhappy to see our President shake hands with people who treat the United States with contempt and, worse, treat their own people with contempt. But our concern is that we will operate on the first theory of government while they operate on the second.
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