Is Obama Tough Enough?

The proposition that American voters might not view Barack Obama as tough enough was discussed recently on a few nationwide television news talk shows.

Basically, the idea is that Barack Obama is viewed as a pushover and that he might be seen in the light of say, Jimmy Carter.

However, I don't remember seeing anything in the sense of poll data or opinion surveys that suggest Obama is seen as a weak figure. So it seems that much of this discussion is based on the personal opinions of various pundits.

A tough exterior does not necessarily translate into greater security or stability. George W. Bush cultivated the cowboy image, but that didn't stop al-Qaeda from launching a brazen attack on 9-11.

Even with American troops overextended on two battlefields, terrorist networks have continued to launch major attacks worldwide since the bombing of the World Trade Center.

It was during tough guy Bush's watch, that fundamentalist Iran has become the major power in the Middle East region, Hezbollah is now stronger than ever in Lebanon, and Hamas has come to ascendancy in Palestine.

On other fronts, the world's worse humanitarian crises in Darfur is mostly the result of military confrontation between Sudan and Chad.

Oil prices, long linked with U.S. security, are high at about $90 a barrel and many think they will eventually go much higher. High oil prices are often cited as one of the "failings" of a "weak" Carter administration.

In Asia, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon against the warnings of the cowboy administration. Islamic fundamentalism has become a more serious problem in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Malaysia, once seen as the shining example of a tolerant multi-cultural Muslim-majority state, has been moving at an alarming rate toward hard-line Islamism since the invasion of Iraq.

Russia, once seemingly on a benign path has been moving increasingly toward the right under the Bush administration igniting fears of a new Cold War.

So, tough images and tough action does not translate into security or stability. If America does not like to be pushed around, neither do people in most other parts of the world. And in not a few cases, they are willing to fight when pushed to a certain point even if out-gunned.

Good judgment, diplomacy and sound knowledge of the situation at hand trump cowboy images and tough talk.

Bush, for example, showed his ignorance of the situation in launching his attack on Iraq, when it was revealed that he was unfamiliar with the sectarian strife between Sunni and Shi'ite sects.

Obama, on the other hand, as shown an intricate knowledge in the area of international relations and foreign policy.

Likewise, Obama showed good judgment when he failed to accept the administration's case on WMD in Iraq. He spoke before the war began of the chaos that would ensue in the country.

An aggressive foreign policy will not work because it is not concerned with creating a win-win situation for everybody involved. It's only concerned with American interests at the expense of everybody else. Now, when those others decide not to cooperate, it turns into a lose-lose situation as we have today.

One of the strange things I've seen in this campaign, is that many people seem to be judging Obama's "toughness" on his willingness to attack Hillary Clinton on the stump. One has to wonder how this should translate to Obama's foreign policy performance if elected.

The world may not be a friendly place, but those perceived most unfriendly are the bullies. Everyone loves to take down a bully. Obama's approach, it would seem, would be to promote an environment where peace and stable relationships actually have a chance to flourish.