by Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi
Last week, the fog
lifted. The appointments of Susan Rice as national security adviser and
Samantha Power as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. made it clear in which
direction U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is heading in
the international arena. A portrait of America's new defense and
diplomatic leaders shows a monolithic group that observes the world
through a purely liberal lens.
The White House's
decision to surround itself with an ideologically uniform team, with the
exception of some slight nuances in Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's
outlook, represents a break with the traditional pattern in American
politics. Immediately after entering the Oval Office, presidents
generally try to promote a vision with a clear ideological stamp.
However, after four years of ideals clashing with reality, second-term
presidents tend to give up ideological purism and instead adopt
realistic policy goals that recognize the limits along the path to
fulfilling their original vision. In Obama's case, however, the opposite
is taking place.
Obama's determined and
united team is seeking the establishment of a new world order based on a
clear moral foundation. This includes a greater willingness for
humanitarian intervention, even if this entails a greater risk of
becoming directly entangled in bloody civil wars.
Obama's new quartet of
stockade guards consists of Rice, Power, Hagel and Secretary of State
John Kerry. Before taking on their current roles, Hagel and Kerry led
the ultra-dovish camp from both sides of the Senate aisle. The female
reinforcements, Rice and Power, will be a perfect complement to Hagel
and Kerry.
Rice and Power are
deeply sensitive to the humanitarian component of international
relations and want to provide a protective umbrella to persecuted ethnic
groups and minorities that are facing concrete and immediate threats to
their existence. Rice developed this sensitivity regarding the African
continent; two years ago, she was a leading supporter of international
intervention against Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya. For Power, it
was the war in the Balkans in the 1990s, during which she, as a
journalist, witnessed ethnic cleansing up close, that led her to become a
flag bearer for the defense of human rights, particularly during civil
wars.
There is no dispute
about the nature of the goals of Obama's new quartet, but the question
is how those goals will be achieved in situations where intervention to
oust a murderous regime could lead to even worse forces taking power (or
exacerbate internal ethnic divides). Another matter of concern is the
contradiction between the new quartet's emphasis on human rights abroad
and its notable indifference to the invasion of "Big Brother" into the
private space of American citizens at home. It is surprising that, so
far, the liberal wing of the American political system has refrained
from challenging the intrusion of government agencies into internet
databases.
Recent revelations
about the surveillance of journalists and the interception of private
information, including telephone records, clearly indicate that Obama,
whose recent appointees were meant to reflect a deep and uncompromising
commitment to human rights, did not hesitate to broaden the path set by
then-President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist
attacks. Obama has expanded the government's involvement in civilian and
domestic affairs.
Only time will tell if the Obama
administration can settle the fundamental contradiction between its
declared liberalism and its lack of respect for basic rights at home,
while at the same time promoting humanitarian goals overseas.
Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=4619
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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