Obama Appears To Be Reversing The GOP's Odd Policy of Self-Isolation - Will It Work?

[Median Democrat]

I understand that neocons believe that if you can't bomb a country into oblivion, then you should isolate them. Of course, this policy was replete with hypocritical exceptions such as China and Saudi Arabia. The latter exception was all the more difficult to understand since most of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Yet, withou any real overall vision, the U.S. invadaded Iraq, identified an Axis of Evil, kept Cuba isolated, told France that it could not do business in Iraq, etc. In other words, it was hard to keep track of all the countries that the Bush administration put on their shit list or understand why these countries were on such a shit list?

In the end, it seemed that in creating this giant shit list, the U.S. had succeeded in isolating itself from the rest of the world. With President Bush's "You Are With Us, Or With The Terrorists" dichotomy, the U.S. managed to go from having counties standing in solidarity with the U.S. to world leaders refusing to shake Dubya's hand. Things have certainly changed. Conversely, in condemning North Korea's rocket launch, and authorizing the use of force against pirates, President Obama has not hestated to condemn or take action against those who actually do take action against U.S. interests.

I have to say it is nice that America's foreign policy seems a bit more cohesive, and less hypocritical. What I wonder is whether it will all work? The economy has gone south and there is a great temptation to engage in a xenophobic foreign policy. Plus, don't Americans need a foreign boogy man?