Obama's foreign failings are putting U.S. at greater risk - III

Chavez is leading, and in some cases bankrolling, Latin American, anti-U.S. authoritarians in Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and even El Salvador, fancying himself the new leader of the Latin Left.

Venezuela has also contracted for US$6 billion worth of Russian weapons, setting the region on edge. More worrisome, Chavez is looking to get into the nuclear industry, courtesy of his Russian friends.

Chazez is also pals with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, both having sworn an “axis of unity” to oppose the U.S. It would surprise no one if Tehran were to pitch in and help Caracas with its atomic ambitions.

With press reporting a regular Venezuela-Syria-Iran flight, Caracas could be helping Tehran insert agents, military advisors and terrorists, such as Hezbollah, into the region for work with Iranian “friends” in Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua — and against the U.S.

Despite all of this, Washington decided this year to send its ambassador back to Caracas after Chavez expelled a U.S. envoy in 2008.

In Honduras, the Obama administration was almost silent on the constitutional power-grab by Chavez ally President, Manuel Zelaya. Then, remarkably, it chose to side with the ousted authoritarian-in-the-making over democratic forces.

In addition to doing little to deal with anti-gringo politicos rising in Latin America, Team Obama isn't doing much to help America's amigos, either. Both Colombia and Panama are still waiting on free-trade agreements, and just south of the border, Mexico could certainly use more help in fighting the drug cartels.

Despite promises of a better approach to foreign policy than George W. Bush, Latin America hasn't gotten better on Obama's shift. Most of what people in the U.S. — and the region — are hearing from the administration on America's Latin America policy is silence.

Reality Check

Promises to improve America's standing in the world and its foreign policy helped Obama gain the White House, but that hasn't happened, despite his endless globe-trotting.

Foreign policy is a tough business, but Obama clearly over-promised on foreign affairs during the campaign — and, so far, he's under-delivered as president. The president wrongly thought he could turn his perceived acclaim abroad into results, advancing American interests. That clearly hasn't been the case. Apparently, he and his advisers forgot that countries act on national interests, not popularity polls. Indeed, his foreign policy “successes” such as Iraq and al-Qaida strikes in Pakistan are little more than continuations of Bush-era policies, which is driving his hardcore supporters on the Left insane.

Like many liberals in the past, he has come face-to-face with the reality of the dog-eat-dog world of international politics, where some of the pooches in the doggie playground are nothing more than self-interested pit bulls. Unfortunately, if current trends continue, we're going to end up on the wrong end of someone's canine teeth.

As many have correctly noted over the years, getting domestic policy wrong can cost people their jobs — and it has. But getting foreign policy wrong can cost people their lives — and it will.

The world needs U.S. leadership to deal with a litany of international challenges, but more than that, the U.S. country needs strong leadership — and policies — on international affairs, something, regrettably, Obama hasn't served up yet.

Peter Brookes is a Heritage Foundation senior fellow and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense.

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