Prior to the 2010 Congressional election losses for the Democratic Party, Obama's foreign policy strategy was to replace Pax Americana with a United National Harmonium. That strategy required him to end the US's role as the world policeman, dramatically reduce US military capability so as to make the role of policeman unworkable, build the UN's role in fostering world piece, build Muslim self esteem so presumably Muslims wouldn't attack others out of psychological insecurity, hector and plead world conflicts into disappearing, end the military effort destroy terrorism's bases in Iraq and Afghanistan -- the familiar ideology of the Stalinist sponsored Leftist agenda during the Cold War applied to the post-Cold War era. It hasn't worked of course. Wishful thinking crashes in front of reality. Obama is left with egg on his face, revealed as generally ineffectual and foolish in foreign policy and international security.
But he has had several minor political successes in foreign policy: the killing of Osama and the adventure in Libya. The Osama killing was good fortune, for which Obama's role was not screwing up something for which he wasn't responsible. Libya was a different matter. Following Clinton's Bosnia script, he succeeded in ridding the world of a murderous vermin using air power and suffering no ground combat casualties (at least as far as we know -- we haven't been informed about secret US advisers to Libya's "rebels" and whether there were casualties among them).
Why did Obama engage in the Libyan adventure? He was reluctant, and let Europe take the lead, but eventually he engaged. Why? Domestic electoral politics. He wanted to show he could be a decisive leader, exercise power, and not walk the US into foreign combat quagmires. That was a neat little boost for Obama. It was a classic exercise in being the world's policeman, even if leading from behind and co-opting other nations to do most of the heavy lifting.
Now Obama had send "advisors" into Uganda to help that nation rid itself of a violent war lord. It's billed as a humanitarian gesture, but humanitarian for whom? Mostly and importantly for Obama himself. If successful, quickly and without US casualties, the police action would give a little Libyian boost in this presidential election. The scenario is called wagging the dog. The embarrassment from which this adventure rescues Obama is not a possible sexual scandal (not to say that the US press would investigate rumors of his girl friend anyway). It is the complete failure and unpopularity of all of his policies since he was elected. He has no record to run on.
Woof, woof, Mr. President.
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