Originally published October 31 2013
Obama causing the entire world to hate America: Spying, currency devaluation, torture and more
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Barack Hussein Obama is without question the most divisive president of our generation, even more so than the hapless Jimmy Carter, who at least managed to broker a peace deal between Egypt and Israel that remains today (though it is tenuous, but that's not Carter's fault).
But he is more than simply divisive. He is grossly incompetent, and his actions - and those of the people he has put in various positions of power - have so routinely demonstrated as much that now even once-trusted allies are reconsidering their relationship with the U.S.
Obama's problems are aptly summarized by McClatchy DC:
Whether miffed over spying revelations or feeling sold out by U.S. moves in the Middle East, some of the United States' closest allies are so upset that the Obama administration has gone into damage-control mode to ensure the rifts don't widen and threaten critical partnerships.
The quarrels differ in their causes and degrees of seriousness. As a whole, however, they pose a new foreign policy headache for an administration whose overseas track record is seen in many quarters at home and abroad as reactive and lacking direction.
Friends in Europe, the Middle East wonder who is in charge
Perhaps what is more damning than anything is that the foreign policy rifts - well, they are more than simply rifts at this point - in the past would have been settled quietly, out of the glaring spotlight of the press.
But increasingly, these battles are becoming public - in one way or another - which has only served to amplify the damage and widen the rift.
Consider these examples:
NSA spying across Europe -- European leaders were recently upset by revelations that the National Security Agency had directed much of its spying at them. It's highly likely that European leaders like Germany's Angela Merkel already knew or suspected that the U.S. spied on its friends and enemies alike. But to see the issue explode in public required outrage, feigned or not, and served as both an embarrassment to the European leaders as well as something that had to then be addressed - also in public (though I suspect there is much back-channel discussion taking place as well).
"The uproar in Europe over revelations from fugitive former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden that the United States spied on as many as 35 government leaders, including Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, has become so great that... 28 European leaders said Merkel and French President Francois Hollande would open negotiations with the United States over a 'no-spying agreement,'" McClatchy reported.
Weakness in the Middle East -- I don't know if Obama has simply given up on the Middle East, because it is a region stuck in a cycle of turmoil and violence, or because he simply has no clue what to do next, but either way, our friends there - and they are strictly "friends" of convenience, by the way - are getting nervous as well. And not the least bit frustrated - all by the lack of U.S. leadership.
"In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, already fed up with U.S. reluctance to get more deeply involved in the Syrian civil war, has become alarmed by Obama's overtures to the Saudis' archenemy, Iran, with which the Saudis are locked in a battle for regional supremacy. Reports indicate it is considering breaking over cooperation with the Obama administration on a range of issues, including training for so-called moderate Syrian rebels," McClatchy reported.
Obama has problems at home, too
And of course, Egypt - mired in violence with an uncertain future - is upset that Washington has cut some of the massive annual assistance it provides, compliments of the U.S. taxpayer. Earlier this month, Nabil Fahmy told a state newspaper that U.S.-Egyptian ties were in "turmoil" and that "anyone who says otherwise is not speaking honestly."
The rift with the Saudis is especially noteworthy, because as McClatchy points out, the royal family rarely airs diplomatic clashes outside of palace walls.
"It's part of an overall trend, America's disengagement and a seemingly aloof Obama, and in the Syrian case, that aloofness ran counter to the Syrians' and Saudis' interests," said Andrew Tabler, who focuses on Syria and U.S. policy in the Middle East at The Washington Institute For Near East Policy. "The Syrian conflict has become so regionalized that our Saudi allies will now openly criticize the White House. It's amazing."
And this is just how things are playing out overseas. At home, Obama is now under fire following an NBC News report this week indicating that the president and his team knew that millions under Obamacare would not get to keep their insurance policies, as Obama has promised repeatedly.
And of course, scores of Americans were upset by a number of other scandals, including IRS targeting of Tea Party groups, NSA monitoring of American citizens, Obama's Benghazi fiasco and the Fast and Furious operation.
Sources:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com
http://investigations.nbcnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
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