Democrats have chosen to pushback against Democratic President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by failing to support his efforts to win fast-track authority. Although it is unusual for a political party to oppose a sitting President who hails from their own ranks, especially when it comes to a proposal the Administration put on the table years ago, free trade has always represented a political conundrum for Democrats.
Free trade can easily deleverage American workers and businesses, yet also helps spur macroscopic economic growth. Unfortunately, previous deals like NAFTA have done harm to North American workers and businesses, e.g. increased income inequity, thus this Democratic upheaval is more in line with Democratic views than the expectation that they would support TPP. TPP has been sold as part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to revive the US economy. Developments like the proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the implementation/expansion of the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), however, raise concerns that a failure to adopt the TPP will diminish US influence in Asia.
Comments
With the Obama Administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism and the Saudi-led campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, there is unchecked enthusiasm and criticism regarding the reset of US relations with both Iran and Cuba. Where human nature drives the quest of optimists, who mainly see the opportunities these policy shifts create, the issue of terrorism supports valid criticism. Because ‘why is there terrorism’ and ‘why are we against terrorism’ are two questions that the International Community has failed to answer as a group, it is difficult to judge the Obama Administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
For many, being put on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism is more a punitive political measure than a meaningful policy. After all, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda have benefited from support provided by the US and Saudi Arabia while the US often finds itself supporting revolutionary forces. In 2008, North Korea was taken off the List by the George W. Bush Administration as a gesture of good will, even though North Korea is a major perpetrator of state-sponsored terrorism against its own People and human rights violations. Where Cuba continues to harbor people the US has designated terrorists, it is questionable as to whether Cuba is guilty or simply did not want to turn refugees over to its enemy. It is, of course, important to recognize even European countries will not always extradite individuals America deemed criminals and terrorists. Saudi-led Coalition angry at Pakistan over unwillingness to fight Houthi, yet opportunity persists4/14/2015 Unfortunately, the Houthi uprising in Yemen is managing to wreak havoc far beyond the borders of the impoverished Middle Eastern country. Pakistan’s decision to decline requests to provide the Saudi-led Coalition fighting the Houthi rebels troops and equipment has provoked condemnation, along with retaliatory threats, from Pakistani benefactors like the AEU. Although Pakistan’s direct participation in the conflict is disappointing, because Pakistan’s strength would have greatly helped suppressed Iranian influence, the Arab coalition would be wise to react in a strategic, less emotional manner.
War endangers the lives and wellbeing of those fighting that war. As such, the decision to go to war has a broad emotional and social impact. Because democratic governments are beholden to the will of their citizens, the decision to go to war is a particularly difficult one. Asking the Pakistanis to endanger the lives of their sons and daughters in a foreign war is asking more than the Arab coalition seems to understand, particularly when considering the terrorist threat from Afghanistan. Quite frankly, the financial aid these countries provide Pakistan does not compare to the sacrifice they are asking the Pakistanis to make. Consequently, the Gulf States need to respond to Pakistan’s decision in a far more respectful manner. With that in mind, Pakistan’s neutral stance does not mean Pakistan is abandoning its Arab brethren. Pakistan remains a threatening military presence to Iran while Pakistan has only chosen to remain neutral at this time. What that means is Pakistan can serve as a neutral party capable of diplomatically pressuring Iran to abandon its support of the Houthi rebels. Adding Indian influence into the mix would further force Iran to reconsider its destabilizing efforts. Cuba, US diplomatic reset: politics versus policy of Obama Administration’s reengagement policies4/11/2015 Politically, the image of the US President shaking hands with the Communist leader of Cuban is mortifying. If President Obama was facing reelection, his opponents and every Ring-wing super pac would be airing commercial after commercial featuring his handshake as proof positive that Obama is a full-blown socialist out to destroy America’s “free market” economy and enslave the American People. They would likely proceed to show snapshots of the Administration’s efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran while they might go so far as to frame America’s diplomatic reset with countries like Myanmar as a sign President Obama is a sociopathic dictator.
In doing so, however, they would undermine what positive changes made in Myanmar and make it more difficult to resolve the lingering legacy of the military dictatorship. Unrelenting criticism over simply attempting to reengage Iran, for example, has undermined the process of negotiating a nuclear deal and addressing the other grieves the world has with the rogue state. Consequently, critics would be wise to avoid demonizing the Obama Administration for its attempts to reengage isolated countries. That is if they are truly more concerned about America’s interests than their own political gain. Whether one approves of the Administration’s approach or not, the fact that President Obama is overwhelmingly more popular in Cuba than the ruling Castro brothers, coupled with the reality that a majority of Cubans want freed from their island prison, provides an opportunity to dispel anti-American sentiments and bolster diplomatic relations throughout our own hemisphere, as well as the world. After all, South Americans and Latin Americans tend to view America’s isolation of Cuban as an outdated Cold War practice that has no practical policy implications today. The devil isn’t a philanthropist; he’s an payday lender who hands out easy money, so you can spend the rest of eternity paying him back. Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of debt-burdened Greece has made it more than clear that the Putin government should no longer be confronted for its involvement in the Ukraine Crisis.
As Tsipras indulges Putin’s twisted version of reality, which frames Russia as the victim and the West as the aggressors, he is actually subjecting the Greek economy to future Russian dominance. People like Vladimir Putin believe they can eventually force their will onto others, because they just have to wait long enough for an enemy to reveal his weak spot. Due to the untenable personal hardships caused by crippling austerity, Greece serves as a weak link when it comes to maintaining European sanctions against Russia. |
Read old posts
April 2020
|