Thu May 27, 2010
WASHINGTON – President Obama’s first formal National Security Strategy argues that preserving American leadership in the world hinges on learning to accept and manage the rise of many competitors, and dismisses as far too narrow the Bush era doctrine that fighting terrorism should be the nation’s overarching objective.
In a 52-page document that tries to balance the idealism of Mr. Obama’s campaign promises with the realities of his confrontations with a fractious and threatening world over the past 16 months, Mr. Obama describes an American strategy that recognizes limits on how much the United States can spend to shape the globe.
An America “hardened by war” and “disciplined by a devastating economic crisis,” he argues, cannot sustain extended fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, while fulfilling other commitments at home and abroad.
“The burdens of a young century cannot fall on American shoulders alone,” Mr. Obama writes in the introduction of the strategy being released on Thursday. “Indeed, our adversaries would like to see America sap our strength by overextending our power.”That line is just one of many subtle slaps at President George W. Bush. Much of the National Security Strategy, which is required by Congress, reads as an argument for a restoration of an older order of reliance on international institutions, updated to confront modern threats. While Mr. Bush’s 2002 document explicitly said the United States would never allow the rise of a rival superpower, Mr. Obama argues that America faces no real military competitor, but that global power is increasingly diffuse. “To succeed, we must face the world as it is,” he says.
read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/world/28strategy.html?pagewanted=printFor the first time, a White House National Security Strategy includes a commitment to building the nation's economic health. A key tenet of Obama's domestic agenda is creating what he calls a "new foundation" for the economic future through better education, national debt reduction, a stronger U.S. clean energy industry, greater scientific research and a revamped health care system.
Obama says in the document that success in these areas is crucial to maintaining U.S. influence abroad.
"Our strategy starts by recognizing that our strength and influence abroad begins with the steps we take at home," the president wrote in a preface.
The strategy also says that in an age of globalization, economic turmoil in other nations can directly affect the lives of Americans. "We have also seen how shocks to the global economy can precipitate disaster," the document says.
read more:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOHvy03tYuPQNp0ldHC9APDXkyhAD9FV46LO0In a formal break with the go-it-alone Bush era, President Barack Obama's strategy called for expanding partnerships beyond traditional U.S. allies to encompass rising powers like China and India in order to share the international burden, according to portions of the document obtained by Reuters.
Obama's first official declaration of national security goals, due to be released in full later on Thursday, pointedly omitted predecessor George W. Bush's policy of pre-emptive war that alienated some U.S. allies.
Laying out a vision for keeping America safe as it fights wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the document formalized Obama's intent to emphasize multilateral diplomacy over military might as he tries to reshape the world order.
While renewing previous presidents' commitment to preserve U.S. conventional military superiority, the doctrine laid out on Thursday put an official stamp on Obama's departure from what Bush's critics called "cowboy diplomacy."
"We need to be clear-eyed about the strengths and shortcomings of international institutions," the document said. But it insisted the United States did not have the option to "walk away."
read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64P62320100527?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
