Punish Your Friends, Reward Your Enemies

RealClearPolitics - The Fruits of Weakness

As Charles points out, in a BO world, this isn't "weakness". His greatest pride is that he is a Luo tribe member.

Nor is this retreat by inadvertence. This is retreat by design and, indeed, on principle. It's the perfect fulfillment of Obama's adopted Third World narrative of American misdeeds, disrespect and domination from which he has come to redeem us and the world. Hence his foundational declaration at the U.N. General Assembly last September that "No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation" (guess who's been the dominant nation for the last two decades?) and his dismissal of any "world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another." (NATO? The West?)

No, on the world stage, none but "citizens of the world" like BO ought to be elevated, certainly not imperialist, capitalist nations like the US used to be.

Given Obama's policies and principles, Turkey and Brazil are acting rationally. Why not give cover to Ahmadinejad and his nuclear ambitions? As the U.S. retreats in the face of Iran, China, Russia and Venezuela, why not hedge your bets? There's nothing to fear from Obama, and everything to gain by ingratiating yourself with America's rising adversaries. After all, they actually believe in helping one's friends and punishing one's enemies.

From BO's view, this policy makes sense -- friends of the old haughty and arrogant America are really bad nations, they need to be punished. Enemies of the old pre-BO US need to be rewarded. It is all a matter of perspective. The US? Europe? Japan? ... old stuff, they all had their time. Perhaps the Luo nation will gain the dominance that it deserves?