Criticism and Conciliation :: Herbert I. London

In his speech in Egypt President Obama has displayed yet again his view of American foreign policy. At its core, this position is one of transnational progressivism, a belief that the United States should adhere to international codes and agreements even if, in the process, national sovereignty is diminished.

As he sees it, the United States must withdraw from many foreign security obligations, a point that undergirds his Egyptian speech. What he does not seem to understand is that feints in this direction lead to treaties and understandings with Iran that were heretofore unacceptable.

If America can no longer be counted on, this will have profound implications for the entire region. In fact, our unwillingness to challenge Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons has put Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the position of having to deter Iranian ambitions themselves, threatening further nuclear proliferation.

President Obama encourages goodwill, a gesture that should be applauded, but he ignores the realpolitik in the region. When I asked an Iranian about imperial design on a "Shia Crescent" in the Middle East, he smiled and said, "We want a full moon."

Alas, diplomatic gestures of the kind the president embraces are fine, but soft power has an effect when and only when there is hard power behind it. That apparently is a lesson President Obama has not yet learned.

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