Just over a year ago, President Obama inherited an atrophied American diplomacy, hostile global public opinion, and an agenda that had disengaged from the international community. The last year has seen an American diplomatic resurgence. This renewed American appetite for sustained diplomatic action has produced modest but real results.
President Obama has put nonproliferation policy at the center of his vision of American security – and made significant advances to reduce the threat from nuclear weapons. Yesterday at the UN General Assembly, Obama not only pledged American leadership in the effort to strengthen international nonproliferation treaties, but gained Russian and Chinese support as well. Today, a meeting of the UN Security Council convened and chaired by Obama agreed to take significant steps to tackle the threat. These efforts directly relate to preventing rogue states like Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. And on this front, President Obama was able to gain Russian support for a unified international response if talks fail with Iran. The U.S. has embraced a path that meets the nuclear threat with tough negotiations, strong safeguards, and an approach that builds on the strengths of other nations, rather than excluding them.
North Korea is likely to grab headlines over the coming July 4th weekend, as the regime has pledged to fire a missile toward Hawaii. But as David Sanger explains, “if your holiday plans call for spending the day on Diamond Head, it is probably not worth cancelling your plans: There is no evidence yet the North’s missiles can reach that far, and their aim is singularly unimpressive.” Nevertheless, North Korea is a real and serious security challenge – a challenge that worsened greatly over the last eight years under President Bush.
The spread of nuclear weapons is a tremendous global challenge -- and a threat we can do something about, one where other nations actually desire US leadership.
Nuclear proliferation presents a grave threat to American and global security. Unsecured stockpiles of weapons and materials are vulnerable to terrorists who can steal or buy a weapon on the black market and use it on a civilian population.
Nuclear weapons present perhaps the greatest threat to our global security. Yet, for eight years the Bush administration shunned the global arms control regime that has played such a crucial role in preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons. This week, President Obama sent a very clear signal that non-proliferation is back at the top of the agenda.
The past few days have seen a series of troubling signals from around the world with Iran launching a new satellite, North Korea issuing new threats, and Russia influencing Kyrgyzstan to close the U.S. military base in Manas – a key supply route into Afghanistan. All of these events raise serious concerns. However, it is important to remember that foreign countries often take advantage of the transition in power to test a new administration and attempt to get to the top of the agenda. Moreover, these incidents are also a reflection of the terrible foreign policy landscape that the Bush administration left behind.
Despite attempts by the Bush administration to tout its legacy, it is very clear that President Bush is bequeathing his successor eight years of incompetence and failed policies that have left America significantly weaker.
