Fareed Zakaria, "Obama’s 21st-century power politics": A Feckless Defense of Obama's Fatuous Foreign Policy

Plagiarist (see: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/08/fareed-zakaria-plagiarism-time-new-yorker.html), liar (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/fred-hiatt-editorial-page-editor-of.html) and Obama cheerleader Fareed Zakaria is back with a new Washington Post opinion piece entitled "Obama’s 21st-century power politics" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-obama-pursues-the-right-response-to-russias-19th-century-behavior/2014/03/27/a7b8dc2a-b5df-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html?hpid=z2), which seeks to counter stinging criticism of the president's foreign policy published by the Wall Street Journal (Obama believes in "a fantasy world of international rules") and the editorial board of his own newspaper (Obama misunderstands "the nature of the century we’re living in"). Zakaria concludes:

"The Bush administration largely pressured [Iran] bilaterally. The Obama administration was able to get much more effective pressure because it presented Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to global norms of nonproliferation, persuaded the other major powers to support sanctions, enacted them through the United Nations and thus ensured that they were comprehensive and tight. This is what leadership looks like in the 21st century.

There is an evolving international order with new global norms making war and conquest increasingly rare. We should strengthen, not ridicule, it. Yes, some places stand in opposition to this trend — North Korea, Syria, Russia. The people running these countries believe that they are charting a path to greatness and glory. But they are the ones living in a fantasy world."

Whoa! In fact, the Obama administration has diligently opposed efforts by Congress to enhance sanctions against Iran (see: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/12/01/menendez-iran-sanctions-obama-opposition/) and more recently dismantled much of the sanctions regimen in exchange for a "framework agreement" providing for idle chatter involving Iran's nuclear weapons development program.

The leaders of North Korea, Syria and Russia are the ones living in a "fantasy world"? In keeping with Zakaria's rationale, I suppose Hitler also lived in a fantasy world; however, that did not make him any less dangerous. Can you imagine the consequences if, following Hitler's invasion of Poland, the allies had simply dismissed his conquest as the product of irrational antiquated thinking?

Zakaria declares that "Putin’s behavior, in fact, does belong to the 19th century," as propounded by John Kerry, but regardless of the century to which it "belongs," does this mean that aggression no longer needs to be countered?

I can only hope that Obama is appreciative of this mindless effort to massage his ego.