New World Order

Playing the Long Game

Never has so much been promised to so many and been delivered to so few.  When He Who is So Smarter Than Ordinary Men was voted in to the office of the US presidency, Obama promised a new world to--well--the world.  Gone would be the histrionics of previous administrations, the faux risks, the needless wars, the brittle alignments, the rhetoric about Axes of Evil.  Instead a new world of sweet reasonableness would break out.  Big Bully US would become a polite chap in the corner. 

But President Obama has become about as imperious as its possible to get--at least in terms of attitude and in the conducting of foreign affairs.  Well, it's understandable really.  When you are by far and away the smartest guy in the room, having to put up with a bunch of under-achieving dullards would strain the patience of your average demi-god. 

It has been noised about recently that every traditional US ally in the Middle East is fed up with Obama and his government.  He has managed to offend them all.
  They are rapidly casting around for other relationships, other alliances.  This would be understandable and even justified if gains on the other side of the ledger could be tallied.  Alas, there are few.  About the only possible candidate would be Iran which is now "talking" to the US about its nuclear programme.  But deep suspicions remains.  After all, these guys are the past masters of disingenuous subterfuge.  Everyone else in the region cannot stand the Obama regime, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya, and Israel. 

And now Europe is in an uproar.  It turns out that the US has been surveilling the phone conversations of European leaders. This, from The Guardian

The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.  The confidential memo reveals that the NSA encourages senior officials in its "customer" departments, such the White House, State and the Pentagon, to share their "Rolodexes" so the agency can add the phone numbers of leading foreign politicians to their surveillance systems.

The document notes that one unnamed US official handed over 200 numbers, including those of the 35 world leaders, none of whom is named. These were immediately "tasked" for monitoring by the NSA.  The revelation is set to add to mounting diplomatic tensions between the US and its allies, after the German chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday accused the US of tapping her mobile phone.

After Merkel's allegations became public, White House press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement that said the US "is not monitoring and will not monitor" the German chancellor's communications. But that failed to quell the row, as officials in Berlin quickly pointed out that the US did not deny monitoring the phone in the past.  The NSA memo obtained by the Guardian suggests that such surveillance was not isolated, as the agency routinely monitors the phone numbers of world leaders – and even asks for the assistance of other US officials to do so.

When it comes to foreign affairs, the Obama Administration is in prime position to write what would doubtless become a world best seller: How to Offend Friends and Amuse Enemies. But maybe we are just failing to see the other-worldly brilliance of the current occupant of the White House--you know, the one will alleged magical powers, who is so much brighter than ordinary mortals.  It is possible that underneath it all Obama--seeing the long game of thrones encompassing decades and centuries--is actually a closet isolationist.  He might really believe in a US allied with none, but friend to all--yet a bearer of a very big stick in case someone would take advantage and attack. 

It is conceivable that ever playing the long game, his immediate strategy is to burn off all existing allies so that the US can quietly withdraw from all alliances and militarily retreat to fortress America.  Then, when the playing field of foreign affairs is levelled, the US can extend the hand of friendship to all without prejudice.  Classic isolationism.  Maybe, just maybe Obama is secretly in cahoots with Libertarians and is amidst the  roll-out of a plot hatched with Ron Paul as they smoked weed together atop the White House roof. 

Either that, or Obama is showing himself a bumbleweed, reducing the US to a global laughing stock. 

One other option remains: that Valerie Jarrett's apologia for Obama's disconnection with the US political process (Obama’s “uncanny” abilities need to be properly engaged, or he disengages. “He’s been bored to death his whole life,” she said. “He’s just too talented to do what ordinary people do.”) has extended to Foreign Affairs.  He is just too bored with it all.  He is far, far too talented to be focused on such mundane stuff.