(no subject)
Of all the explanations for Barack Obama's Nobel peace prize, the one that rang truest came from Nicolas Sarkozy. "It sets the seal on America's return to the heart of all the world's peoples." In other words, this was Europe's way of saying to America, "We love you again", like those weird renewal-of-vows ceremonies couples have after a rough patch.
Now Europe and the US are officially reunited, it seems appropriate to consider whether this is necessarily a good thing. The Nobel committee, which awarded the prize for Obama's embrace of "multilateral diplomacy", is evidently convinced that US engagement on the world stage is a triumph for peace and justice. I'm not so sure. After nine months in office, Obama has a clear track record as a global player. Again and again, US negotiators have chosen not to strengthen international laws and protocols but to weaken them, often leading other rich countries in a race to the bottom.
Klein goes on to highlight a rapid-fire list of examples: from global warming, to racism, to human rights, to international financial regulation. Put them all together, and it's a damning picture of a center-right policy agenda that's precisely what one might have expected from the elder Bush. And I seriously doubt if one Obama supporter in a hundred had this in mind when they voted for "change we can believe in." Problem is, with our total failure media, I seriously doubt if one Obama supporter i a hundred even knows that this policy record exists.
Sauce
Now Europe and the US are officially reunited, it seems appropriate to consider whether this is necessarily a good thing. The Nobel committee, which awarded the prize for Obama's embrace of "multilateral diplomacy", is evidently convinced that US engagement on the world stage is a triumph for peace and justice. I'm not so sure. After nine months in office, Obama has a clear track record as a global player. Again and again, US negotiators have chosen not to strengthen international laws and protocols but to weaken them, often leading other rich countries in a race to the bottom.
Klein goes on to highlight a rapid-fire list of examples: from global warming, to racism, to human rights, to international financial regulation. Put them all together, and it's a damning picture of a center-right policy agenda that's precisely what one might have expected from the elder Bush. And I seriously doubt if one Obama supporter in a hundred had this in mind when they voted for "change we can believe in." Problem is, with our total failure media, I seriously doubt if one Obama supporter i a hundred even knows that this policy record exists.
Sauce