The chilling thing - and Hanson points this out in the course of his piece - is that this state of affairs is just fine with a sizable number of post-Americans.The world as we once knew it is insidiously vanishing amid utopian blather about a new Russia, a new Iran, and a new China. In its place is emerging something like the wild world of 1803–1815 or 1936–1945. If the U.S. is either spiritually or fiscally incapable of exercising its old leadership, others will step into the vacuum. The result will not be an agreed-upon international order, but one of regional hegemons. When the tired federal marshal is three days’ ride away, the owners of the local big spreads will decide what is and is not the law — and the vulnerable homesteaders will have to make the necessary adjustments.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
What the world will look like now that America has abnegated its role as global leader
Victor Davis Hanson at NRO:
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Latest polls indicate a slight majority Americans think our power has weakened on the world stage and that is just fine with them since they think we need to concentrate on domestic issues. Our experience in Iraq, Afghanistan & Iran has not emboldened us.
ReplyDeleteForeign policy, which was once seen as one of Obama's strengths as he sought to repair the battered US image abroad, was also sharply criticized.
"By a 56 per cent to 34 per cent margin more disapprove than approve of his handling of foreign policy," the poll found. "The public also disapproves of his handling of Syria, Iran, China and Afghanistan by wide margins." For the first time in nearly half a century of doing such polls, Pew found that scepticism about US international engagement was sharply on the rise. Some 52 per cent of those polled believed the United States "should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own," with just 38 per cent disagreeing with the statement.
Those who said that the US does "too much" to try to solve the world's problems - some 51 per cent - mostly believed that domestic issues including the economy should be the administration's primary focus. However, despite the growing numbers opposed to global US engagement there was support for a global economy with 77 per cent saying growing trade and business ties with other countries was good for the US. Obama, however, was also found lacking when it comes to foreign policy, with the public giving him a job rating of less than 40 per cent for his handling of nine out of 10 overseas challenges.
Read more at http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/americans-see-us-power-on-the-wane-poll-454151
I love to hear about the Most Equal Comrade being hurt and damaged. Every instance of it is exquisitely delicious.
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