Obama praises his diplomacy with Iran and Cuba while angering traditional allies
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/14/obama-cuba-iran-examples-principled-diplomacy/ Washington Times
By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times - Monday, March 14, 2016
President Obama extolled the virtues of diplomacy Monday for his administration’s “breakthroughs” with U.S. adversaries Iran and Cuba, while traditional allies Great Britain and Saudi Arabia seethed at the president for undercutting the British prime minister and calling the Saudis “free riders.”
During a meeting with U.S. diplomats in Foggy Bottom, Mr. Obama praised Secretary of State John F. Kerry and his foreign-service team for carrying out his administration’s “strong, principled diplomacy” on issues ranging from the Iranian nuclear deal to the Paris climate-change agreement.
“There are those who criticize our commitment to diplomacy, for investing so much effort in trying to resolve conflicts that seem intractable,” Mr. Obama said. “But here’s the truth: Conflicts and wars do not end on their own. Breakthroughs do not just happen. Agreements don’t write themselves. It takes diplomacy, being willing to sit down with others.”
Here’s another truth: Mr. Obama’s own words on foreign policy are causing a diplomatic backlash from London to Riyadh.
In an interview last week with The Atlantic, the president warned that Britain would no longer be able to claim a “special relationship” with the U.S. if it did not commit to spending at least two percent of its GDP on defense. The phrase is weighted with special meaning in the U.K. because prime minister Winston Churchill first popularized it 70 years ago.
Mr. Obama also blamed British Prime Minister David Cameron in part for the “shit show” in Libya, saying Mr. Cameron stopped paying attention to the deteriorating security situation because he was “distracted by a range of other things.”
The White House hurriedly issued a statement of appeasement, saying Mr. Cameron “has been as close a partner as the president has had.” But the resentment in the United Kingdom hasn’t died down, with The Times of London carrying a front-page headline “Obama lays blame for Libya mess on Cameron,” and The Independent’s headline blaring: “Obama savages Cameron on Libya.”
Former U.K. foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind said the criticism from Mr. Obama was a “bit rich.”
“I think, if there’s criticism, looking at your own actions is sometimes appropriate,” Mr. Rifkind said.
Alan Duncan, a conservative member of Parliament, wrote on Twitter: “Obama leaves Iraq in a mess, disengages from the Mid East, does nothing in Syria, Libya or Palestine & then blames us. Not much of a legacy.”
London Mayor Boris Johnson piled on Mr. Obama with an op-ed criticizing the president for meddling in the upcoming EU referendum, calling it “a piece of outrageous and exorbitant hypocrisy,” because the U.S. protects its own sovereignty with “hysterical vigilance.” He said Mr. Obama’s claim that Britain would lose global influence if it leaves the bloc is “wholly fallacious.”
Referring to reports that Mr. Obama plans to visit the U.K. this spring to weigh in on the matter, Mr. Johnson said:
“Air Force One will touch down; a lectern with the presidential seal will be erected. The British people will be told to be good to themselves, to do the right thing. We will be informed by our most important ally that it is in our interests to stay in the EU, no matter how flawed we may feel that organization to be.”
And then there’s Saudi Arabia.
Also in the Atlantic interview, Mr. Obama referred to the crucial Middle Eastern ally as a “free rider” on American foreign policy, and criticized Riyadh for what he said was its funding of religious intolerance and refusal to come to an accommodation with Iran.
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