Obama's National Security Strategy: Is 'I'm not Bush' ending?
| Washington
President Obama鈥檚 first National Security Strategy, to be unveiled by the administration this week, is being summed up in some circles as a repudiation of President Bush鈥檚 reliance on 鈥渦nilateral鈥� American power.
But in its emphasis on strong international alliances, the promotion of universal values like democracy and human rights, and the crucial role of a strong economy and an innovative society at home, the document looks to be just as much a reaffirmation of traditional US foreign-policy themes.
The National Security Strategy, a broad statement of foreign-policy goals for addressing key international threats to America鈥檚 well-being, is slowly emerging from its wraps. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is to lay out the strategy in a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington Thursday. Mr. Obama gave a preview of the strategy鈥檚 key points in a West Point commencement address Saturday, White House officials say.
In the West Point speech, Obama spoke of an 鈥渋nternational order鈥� that 鈥渃an resolve the challenges of our times.鈥� It will be promoted through four 鈥減illars鈥� of American action: renewed and expanded alliances; strength abroad through strength at home, with an emphasis on education, clean energy, technology, and innovation; support for international development and a revitalized diplomatic corps; and promotion of democracy and human rights.
The new National Security Strategy will underscore that the American military is unrivaled in the world in its reach and resources, and it will call for the United States to maintain its military superiority, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a summary of the strategy.
It won鈥檛 surprise anyone that any White House would vaunt the essential role of US military might.
Still, the Obama White House may be at risk of playing down the role of 鈥渉ard power鈥� in the world too much, some foreign-policy analysts say, especially as the administration seeks to differentiate itself from its predecessor.
鈥淓very presidency starts off defining itself by trumpeting the opposite of whatever its predecessor did, and that鈥檚 been true in spades going from George W. Bush to Obama,鈥� says Robert Lieber, a professor of government and international affairs at Georgetown University in Washington. 鈥淏ut at a certain point that gets old, and we鈥檙e at a point where the overplayed 鈥榳e鈥檙e not Bush鈥� mantra is raising anxieties among friends and allies in Asia and the Middle East.鈥�
Much of the world, Professor Lieber says, will be watching the new security strategy to see if Obama largely plays down the role of hard power. Such a move would exacerbate growing jitters about a less assertive America, he says.
鈥淚f this [administration鈥檚] allergy to almost any of the rhetoric that resonates with whatever the Bush administration did or said is perpetuated鈥� in the document, he says, 鈥渨e鈥檙e very likely to see the repercussions in a series of foreign-policy problems.鈥�
Others say they expect Obama鈥檚 strategy to address emerging challenges to national security, including climate change and energy innovation.
鈥淎 lot of it will be focused on terrorism and religious extremism,鈥� said Sen. John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts at a Monitor breakfast Wednesday. But the president鈥檚 attention to the broad implications of energy challenges tells him that 鈥渋n principle, this [issue] will be emphasized within鈥� the National Security Strategy.
At the breakfast, Senator Kerry promoted as 鈥渁 national security priority鈥� the new clean-energy legislation he is sponsoring with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut.
Steven Clemons, who directs the American strategy program at the New America Foundation in Washington, says Obama鈥檚 West Point speech suggests that the new document will recognize 鈥渢he vital need for the US to return to its role as a benign, constructive force in global affairs.鈥�
Referring to one of the four 鈥減illars鈥� Obama highlighted in the speech 鈥� rebuilding America鈥檚 international leadership through a stronger America at home 鈥� Mr. Clemons says he expects the new strategy will underscore that 鈥渢here is no way that the US can presume global leadership when its home front is deteriorating and in poor shape.鈥�
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