I just published a quick rant on Huffington Post after watching Joe Scarborough complain and moan about how the U.S. is going it alone on Afghanistan during his morning MSNBC show.  It’s no wonder so many countries are getting into bed with Venezuela, Russia, and China … they probably show more appreciation.

Both Washington and its pundits on both sides of the aisle have got
to come around to the fact that the number of disincentives for being
friendly with the U.S. are rapidly increasing, and it’s not longer just
the radical fringes. In Latin America, where we can’t even seem to hold
confirmation hearings for our diplomatic appointees, it simply pays
much, much more to accept unconditional aid from Venezuela’s Hugo
Chavez, or even strike up relationships based on credit and guns from
Russia and China. In Eastern Europe, Poland and the Czech Republic
stick their necks out in their reluctant agreement to host a missile
shield, only to have it withdrawn and watch the Obama administration
throw them right into a conceded “sphere of influence” of Russian
revanchism.

From Southeast Asia, to the Stans of Central Asia, to Muslim areas
of Africa, the United States is emphasizing relationships with abusive
dictators over the fledgling democracy movements, unwittingly raising
the prospects of newly hostile Islamic states. We don’t even need to
ask leaders such as Jose Maria Aznar or Mikheil Saakashvili the
personal political costs of support the United States.

Worst of all, I am one of the people who actually believes that
peaceful cooperation in the international community and the active and
respectful engagement of the United States in key alliances is a
cornerstone of global security – that’s why it is such a pity to see
these relationships dependent on a battered spouse syndrome … one of
these times, they might not come back. A slip of the tongue on just one
cable news show means nothing, but if the U.S. doesn’t get back on the
same page as the rest of its friends, these lamentations of isolation
could become self-fulfilling.

Last 5 posts by Robert Amsterdam

• Energy Blast - Nov 25, 2009 - November 25th, 2009
• Today in Russian Business - Nov 25, 2009 - November 25th, 2009
• RA's Daily Russian News Blast - Nov 25, 2009 - November 25th, 2009
• Mr. Chávez's Neighborhood - November 24th, 2009
• Hermitage Defense Team Under Attack following Death Threats - November 24th, 2009