America’s next move

Russia’s attack on Georgia exposed the weakness of Bush’s foreign policy. Here’s what the US needs to do to regain leverage

If the shaky cease-fire takes hold in Georgia, then the 21st century’s version of the Six Day war may mercifully be coming to an end. That will come as a relief - especially for those caught up in the fighting, and for American and European leaders whose impotence in stopping the Russian advance has been laid bare before the world.

The unfortunate lesson of the Russo-Georgian war is that this is the first tangible example outside of the Middle East of how George Bush’s catastrophic foreign policy has weakened the US and the West. The next American president has been dealt a terrible hand - but he must take immediate steps to prevent this situation from getting worse.

The root causes of the West’s alarming helplessness lie in the broad strategic failure of the Bush administration’s foreign policy. It first alienated and then badly misread Putin’s character and intentions, only realising his true threat to Western interests after it was too late. […]

If the shaky cease-fire takes hold in Georgia, then the 21st century’s version of the Six Day war may mercifully be coming to an end. That will come as a relief - especially for those caught up in the fighting, and for American and European leaders whose impotence in stopping the Russian advance has been laid bare before the world.

The unfortunate lesson of the Russo-Georgian war is that this is the first tangible example outside of the Middle East of how George Bush’s catastrophic foreign policy has weakened the US and the West. The next American president has been dealt a terrible hand - but he must take immediate steps to prevent this situation from getting worse.

The root causes of the West’s alarming helplessness lie in the broad strategic failure of the Bush administration’s foreign policy. It first alienated and then badly misread Putin’s character and intentions, only realising his true threat to Western interests after it was too late. […]

[…]

Barack Obama has put forward a comprehensive foreign and security policy compatible with each of these steps: early and high-level negotiations with Iran; transitioning towards a green economy; emphasising human dignity and peoples’ needs and aspirations in US aid programs; and ending the war in Iraq. John McCain proposes doing none of these things as he hurtles towards confrontation with both Russia and Iran, seemingly intent on turning this bad situation into a terrifying one.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/13/usforeignpolicy.georgebush