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ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE
by Congressman Lou Frey, Jr.
I recently returned from a trip with my family to the Czech Republic and Hungary. I had some months before been in Germany as part of the Congressional Study Group on Germany. We met with the Chancellor of Germany, key members of the administration, and members of the Bundestag.
President Obama is still incredibly popular in Europe. A survey, by the German Marshall Fund (Transatlantic Trends), showed that in 2008 only 19% of Europeans had a favorable view of George W. Bush’s foreign policy. Today 77% have a positive view of Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Furthermore, over 90% of Germans have a favorable view of President Obama, an 80% increase over last year’s number for George W. Bush.
Part of this popularity is based on the belief that President Obama is more interested in using soft power, i.e., diplomacy, than hard power, military force. Seventy one percent of Americans believe that hard power is necessary, while only 25% of Europeans feel that way. Many Europeans have read Dreams of My Father. Europeans believe that President Obama does not think like a typical American, but instead is more European. They hope that under President Obama America will be less bellicose, more multilateral and will work with other nations using soft power instead of hard power.
I was in Hungary and the Czech Republic when the Obama Administration announced it was giving up the missile defense system. The reaction was predictable. The Polish government felt they had been betrayed and issued strong statements about the U.S. change in position. The Czech Republic’s response was more muted, as they were not going to have any missiles on Czech soil.
In Hungary there was not much official reaction. However, some of the elder Hungarians have not forgotten how, in the late ‘50s, the United States encouraged resistance to the communist regime. The Hungarian people revolted and overthrew the government. In spite of this, Russia came to the rescue of the communist dictatorship. Many Hungarians were killed by the Russians and the people had to suffer through three decades of oppression and terror. Some have not forgiven the Americans for encouraging the revolution and then sitting on the sidelines. To these Hungarians our cancelation of the missile system was no surprise.
One can debate whether doing away with the missile shield makes sense. However, what does not make sense is that President Obama didn’t get anything for giving it up. In fact, at the same time we were giving up the missile shield the Russians were announcing they would oppose U.S. backed sanctions against Iran in the United Nations.
The next few months will be a test of the Obama Administration in many places throughout the world, especially Afghanistan. Remember, Afghanistan is President Obama’s war. In his campaign he talked about getting out of Iraq as soon as possible, but said that the real war was in Afghanistan. The military advisors he has appointed have recommended more troops. He has sat on this report from his generals for over thirty days while Americans are in harms way. President Obama says he is studying the issue. I am not sure what new facts can be found that could make a major difference. If Afghanistan falls the pressure on Pakistan increases ten fold. The thought of the Taliban controlling nuclear weapons is truly frightening.
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About Congressman Lou Frey, Jr.
Lou Frey represented East and Central Florida in the U. S. Congress from 1969 to 1979. He was the fourth Republican elected to Congress from Florida since the late 1800's. In his last election, he received nearly 80% of the vote. He was one of five elected Republican leaders in the House of Representatives during the 93rd and 94th Congress. He served on...
[FULL STORY]
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