Obama says diplomacy, military go hand in hand

Source: Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) -- The U.S. must shape a world order as reliant on the force of diplomacy as on the might of its military to lead, President Barack Obama said Saturday as he outlined a foreign policy vision that repudiated the go-it-alone approach forged by his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Addressing nearly 1,000 graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, many of whom will likely head to war in Iraq and Afghanistan under his command, Obama said all hands are required to solve the world's newest threats: terrorism, the spread of nuclear weapons, climate change and feeding and caring for a growing population.

The U.S. military is the "cornerstone of our national defense," but Obama said the men and women who wear America's uniform cannot bear that responsibility by themselves. "The rest of us must do our part," he said.

"The burdens of this century cannot fall on our soldiers alone. It also cannot fall on American shoulders alone," the commander in chief told graduates in gray and white uniforms seated on the field at Michie Stadium.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA?SITE=MITRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

For better or worse

:rofl:

those who are the recipients of our 'military diplomacy'. If you don't mind, I'll take the word of the women of Afghanistan who have actually experienced what Obama is talking about and the people of Iraq who have lost their loved ones, as to how that 'diplomacy' is working for them.

RAWA Statement on Massacre of over 150 civilians in Bala Baluk of Farah Province by the U.S.

As the US occupiers continue killing our innocent and sorrowed people without regret, this time they committed yet another horrible crime in Bala Baluk village of Farah Province. On 5th May 2009, the US airstrikes targeted people’s homes, killing more than 150, mostly women and children. This is another war crime but Pentagon shamelessly includes Taliban as the perpetrators too and announces the civilian deaths being only 12!

The so-called ‘new’ strategy of Obama’s administration and the surge of troops in Afghanistan have already dragged our ill-fated people in the danger zone and his 100-day old government proved itself as much more war-mongering than Bush and his only gifts to our people is hiking killings and ever-horrifying oppression. This administration is bombarding our country and tearing our women and children into pieces and from the other side, is lending a friendly hand towards the terrorist Gulbuddinis and Taliban -- the dirty, bloody enemies of our people-- and holding secret negotiations and talks with such brutal groups.

While our grieved people are burying the torn bodies of their loved ones in mass graves; the traitor lackey Said Tayeb Jawad, in his comfort in the USA, tries to dim the war crimes of his masters and about the killings of civilians, shamelessly salts people’s wounds saying, “this is a price we have to pay if we want security and stability in Afghanistan, the region and the world.”!

If his or other ignoble spies like him would lose their children and dear ones like the people of Bala Baluk, would they still become so stone-hearted and remain silent in the face of US/NATO war crimes in Afghanistan?

Warning: Site contains graphic photos of our 'military dimplomacy' at work.

I understand 'military.' Do YOU understand 'diplomacy?'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/09/obama-prague-trip-ends-on_n_531366.html

agree with those comments made by Obama. I doubt the victims of our military + diplomacy (where is the diplomacy btw, Karzai is not the chosen leader of the people of Afghanistan so he's definitely not the person to conduct diplomatic relations with) would agree with him at all, even less a year after that article was written.

This war is wrong, it always was, it is killing people. It needs to stop and nice words to our troops while still killing innocent people, is not comfort to anyone other than the most blind supporters of our Imperial policies.

One dead baby was one too many. If it was an American child we wouldn't be so blase or 'pragmatic' about all these dead civilians, which we like to dehumanize by referring to them as 'collateral damage', or talking about diplomacy etc., nor would Obama.

I am thoroughly disgusted, particularly with the so-called 'left' who have completely forgotten that war is wrong no matter who is the CIC.

...and the rest of us should just shut up? Clever.

people what people are thinking.

'Disagree'? About what? Who do you disagree with? The women of Afghanistan? Are they wrong to demand that the U.S. stop killing their loved ones? Or would you rather THEY just shut up so they don't ruin the nice image of us as the 'good guys' saving the world from itself? 'Disagree' is a pretty mild way of expressing what I feel when I see those little children and they are the survivors of this noble mission Obama is talking about.

My apologies for introducing the other side of this story.

Obama's idealism, that is.

because I had a clear impression of his true character long before he was elected. I don't know how long it took for me to get so sick of his lip-biting bullshit that I couldn't stand to look at him or listen to his affected voice, but I eventually came to really despise him and I hoped the Lewinsky affair would get him removed from Office, which is what he deserved.

Bill Clinton was the reason I voted for George W. Bush the first time around. My dislike for Clinton was so caustic it poisoned my impression of Al Gore. I considered that election a crapshoot and hoped that a numbskull like Bush might have an epiphany and move in the right direction but I'm willing to admit my very foolish mistake. And it only took a few months to realize what Bush was about and to become thorougly disgusted with him.

Although I was disappointed when Kucinich was dropped from consideration I actively supported Obama's campaign and I voted for him. While I didn't entirely trust him I tried to keep an open mind and look for reasons to justify some of the things he did and didn't do. But it's been sixteen months now and I'm really sick of listening to his bullshit MLK emulations and looking at his phony skyward gaze and theatrical expressions.

I didn't listen to this West Point speech, nor will I bother listening to any more of his speeches, but I do wonder how many of the cadets who attended are aware that he's just another phony, war-mongering, script-reading politician who is perfectly willing to send them to their deaths for no better reason than to fulfill his obligation to the Military Industrial Complex.

That doesn't sound like diplomacy to me. It makes me think of Manifest Destiny, for some reason.

the rest of the world if they want the U.S. 'shaping a new world order' for them. Guess not, we are after all, 'the greatest country in the world' and if you're not with us on that, you're against us, and we all know what that means.

It was very scary when Bush Sr. used that phrase and it is no less scary now to hear it from this president.

He has been assimilated!

The U.S. will dictate, and other countries must meet "their responsibilities and face the consequences when they don't,". Presumably, the United States will determine everyone's "responsibilities".

It's not the first time an all-powerful Empire thought they were invulnerable only to find out that no matter how many weapons you have, or how much more powerful you may be, the human spirit once it's awakened and takes a stand, is a very, very powerful force and many former 'Rulers' learned that the hard way.

Obama is sounding more and more like Bush every day. I guess it's because the same people are writing his script.

sabrina 1

Sooner or later im afraid that the US is up for some really nasty awaking, where they wil learn the hard way that the world is larger than Texas... Even tho US is a great militæary power, and uses double that the next 20 states on the list of they who use most money on weapons, if the rest of the world was to turn against US, even the mighty US would discover, that they are not that mighty... Specailly if the war, was convensial that be.. A nuclear excange on the other hand is different.... Then everyone loose

The worst it, is that a war witht he US, could be usable, withouth a single weapon been fired... As the world today is fare more advanced as it was 50 or 60 year ago, when US was suprime, and could dictate everything they want, today the world could wage a short war, with the us with debastating effect on the US.. Most of what US was the sole producer of for maybe 20-30 year ago, the world can do today.. And a trade war witht he US, where most of the world was not to trade with the US for a year, or maybe two, would harm US far more than it would harm the rest of the world.. I would be harship, before everythingt hat US once produced was beeing produced elsewhere, but as new factories, and new industri as a whole was been completed, the world would go ahead, regardness what the US demanded..
And most of the international organisastions who is placed in the US, could easly been made elsewhere too.. Many americans in their ignorance have called for the UN to be relocaded from US, wel we do have some nice buildings in Geneva who could be used as a new HQ for a UN withouth US, and then the republicans can get their wish of using the site where the current UN building is standing, as a new parking lot...

I hope really that US can start doing it different, maybe even manage to turn this wr mongering around, to use the ressurses, and the rest of what the world have of friendship with the US to the better use.. But Im afraid that the war mashine, who in many cases have dominated the US for the last couple of decades would rather tear the US down, than to use the ressourses to better use... President Eisenhoover once warned the US against the forces of darkness, who wanted to spend at mutch as posible to war... Today we have a world, where some conuntry, are using a lot of ressourses to make preparing for war, when they are the biggest boy in the block as it is.. US is a great country, but specailly the last decade the brute front of military force, and the willingness to use the brute force to whawtever they want have been troublesome, at least.. And in the prosess, it is bleeding the US dry by thousands cut where US are in wars that can't be won.. Iraq, Afghanistan and other wars where US is bugged down withouth the posibility to win a outright war is the thousands cut that can dry out the gigant... It is not withouth some merrit, that Afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires. The only empires who have really beating the crap out of the afghans, is the empire of Alexander the Great.. The Persian Empire and the Mongoles.. And they was all using tactics and metodes that would turn the world upside down if US was ever to use the same form of metodes.. And even the Persians, and the Mongoles desided it was best to rule that part of the world, by proxy. A local ruler was made king over the whole area, and was responsible for taxes and so on.. But was more or less free to do what they want, as long as the taxes got in to the central power, they could not care less what the forefathers to the modern afghans was doing on their free time... Other empires, as the british, and the russians, have all bleed dry in the montains of Afghanistan... Even tho they comand the lower ground with superiour forces, most of them can't control the montains, withouth using metodes that in the age of internet and 1000 news channels cant be tolerated... Even for 2500 year ago, when Alexander was turning Afghanistan to a ash try stories about the metodes was mot taken with pleasure back home... And the news was little more slow then, than today..

I hope that US can turn around, and se what they have became, in the face of the rest of the world.. But im afraid it is maybe little to late, to turn the ship around withouth some really telling what have become of the US.. US are not the friendly friend, they once was when the world was little different from today.. Today we se a naked empire, who want to rule the world more and more by force alone. What the grazies in US dosen't, or maybe more to the point, dosen't care about is that the world can be pushed to a line, and then tell US that if you go over that line your friendship is over.. And Im afraid that in time the US wil go over the line, becouse they belive that US can fight everyone, everywehere... And then discover as other empires true the history have learned, that they have overpowered themself... The smart empires, managed to survive, as the british, who even today have great interest in many country and where the british queen even today, is head of state in more than 30 country'- even tho she might be more of a symbol, than a practical head of state with influence in the day to day operations of a country.. Or they can end up as the roman empire, who for more than 500 year ruled most of the known world - but who ended in a couple of 100 years, when they overpowered themselfs, and the empire first got into two pieces, and then even got into fewer pieces as the empire crumbled.. But as an idea, the roman empire survived for far longer, and the last Emperor of the Roman Empire of German Nation, abdicted first in 1806, after Napolon have been the crap out of the empires military forces... And that was an empire thought, that had been alive since 800 AD, when Charlemange was crowned as the western emperor by the then pope... And who really pissed of the bysantine empire, who formaly was the roman Empire.. Oh, that was an digresion.. But the fact is that every empire had a timeline.. And it looks as the world evolvle, the empires tend to last less and less as the times goes..
.

Diclotican

in doing the new START Treaty with Russia he talked about that as the nation with most nuclear weapons that we couldn't credibility ask other to reduce their numbers if we weren't willing to do the same.

Too bad he has no significant influence over the establishment of U.S. foreign policy, which has been consistent for many decades, regardless of which party held influence over our government.

We never see this in our media, but having relatives outside the country I am very aware of it. The world is very pissed especially that they percieve us to have screwed up the entire world economy and yet are fixing it at their expense.

There is quite a backlash coming. If we think we can continue in this manner and not change our ways and approach to the world we are in for a rude awakening. We are naive to think that our lives will not be seriously impacted if we don't start changing the way we deal with and impact the world.

schtick is being great at being a speaker - not that you're a warring type of leader - is very disheartening. :(

what a stupid comment.

Neocon bullshit disguised by a giant letter D.