There is no question that President Obama has brought to America a new direction in foreign policy.
On the surface it seems to be summarized as a redrawing of our definition ‘of strategic interest to the United States’. We now seem to care very little about aggression by rogue states in the middle east, the Russian attacks on her periphery or China’s expansion in south asia. We won’t even complain about Russian attacks on Sweden for selling oil to Estonia. Or Chinese support for Venezuela and Ecuador. The U.S. doesn’t even mention regular Russian military flights 50 miles off our Western state borders inside of American airspace.
This has created a petri dish to see how bad the world can get when America pulls back its strategic borders.
In the past the borders of American strategic interests have excluded most of Africa. That meant more than a million Africans killed each other and more were displaced: without our concern.
Now it means that more than a million Arabs are killed and displaced and we don't act seriously to prevent it.
This new policy helps me understand more about America’s strategic interests. President Obama and the Democrat Party are generally indifferent to commerce.
This indifference results in a disinterest in finding new commercial markets, protecting our major trade allies and protecting global shipping routes.
I learned one thing.
The piracy off the coast of Somalia was left to private companies and mercenaries to solve. That worked.
I don’t believe it will be the same when state actors are involved such as China’s use of its air force to harass commercial airlines. Or when Russia actual shoots one down.
I think we have now seen that our definition of ‘strategic interests’ in prior years was too great. Now under Obama it is too limited.