“What would America fight for?” screams the cover of this week’s Economist. The “cumulative message” of America’s unwillingness to bring its might to bear on Syria or Ukraine, “is weakness.” Mr. Obama has “broken the cardinal rule of superpower deterrence: you must keep your word.” Apparently, credibility is “easily lost and hard to rebuild.” There is a “widespread impression in the Middle East” that “the lion has turned into a pussycat,” continues the main article. In Asia, allies “doubt that America would risk a shooting war” with China, and are arming themselves. Even Japan is “not sure” about America’s protection.
What The Economist Got Wrong
What The Economist Got Wrong
What The Economist Got Wrong
“What would America fight for?” screams the cover of this week’s Economist. The “cumulative message” of America’s unwillingness to bring its might to bear on Syria or Ukraine, “is weakness.” Mr. Obama has “broken the cardinal rule of superpower deterrence: you must keep your word.” Apparently, credibility is “easily lost and hard to rebuild.” There is a “widespread impression in the Middle East” that “the lion has turned into a pussycat,” continues the main article. In Asia, allies “doubt that America would risk a shooting war” with China, and are arming themselves. Even Japan is “not sure” about America’s protection.