The Big Stick

***** UPDATE *****
The blog post mentioned below has since been removed from the Telegraph.co.uk website. Not all too surprising. I just wish I had cross-posted the whole thing.
***** UPDATE *****

Wow. Imagine seeing a OpEd piece in the country like this from the Daily Telegraph in the UK.

School's out! Suddenly it is playtime for all the naughtier elements in the more "reclusive" parts of the world who enjoy kicking Uncle Sam's butt but didn't much relish tangling with Dick Cheney and (what was that other guy's name?). This time Comrade Kim is really throwing his toys out of the playpen. He has even unilaterally revoked the 1953 armistice between the Korean War belligerents, which means, in case anybody is interested, that North and South Korea are once more at war.

So, what is the response of the Messiah in the Oval Office? Really severe rhetoric, is the answer. The soundbite manufacturers have been burning the midnight oil and the auto-cue is going into meltdown. So is the confidence of Asian leaders. The word is out: the most powerful nation on earth has got itself a pussycat for a president and all the bad guys are queuing up to give him the finger.

The article even calls him President Pantywaste. This would be even more funnier if it weren't so sadly true. Do you think it's just a coincidence that North Korea has upped the ante with six long range missile tests and a nuclear detonation test, all within the past week or so? Do you think they would have dared try this while Bush/Cheney were running the show?

"Walk softly, but carry a big stick." This was a phrase coined by Teddy Roosevelt back in 1901. He attributed it then to an old West African proverb. What it means is to tread carefully, negotiate peacefully and diplomatically, but be ready to use force if necessary. True back in 1901, and even more true today. If there is no Big Stick, there is no negotiating, diplomacy, respect, or peace.

It was the American Big Stick that saved Europe, twice. It was fear of the American Big Stick that eventually ended the Cold War. All through the 1990's, Saddam Hussein felt the American Big Stick, along with a host of other Sticks. Right or wrong, intended or unintended, fear of the American Big Stick is what makes us the "world's policeman" by default.

On the flip side, we cannot bring out the Big Stick whenever we want, as the "walk softly" part is just as important. Diplomacy and negotiation must be given a chance to work. The Big Stick should be used only as a last resort, after all efforts to walk softly have failed. However, refusal to use the Big Stick has grave consequences, and should never be put away.

What happens when the American Big Stick is put away? The refusal to confront the Iranian hostage situation with a Big Stick led to US embassy employees and citizens being held hostage for 444 days. How a rag-tag group of college students could overwhelm US Marines guarding the embassy is puzzling. How President Carter could allow the situation to last past lunch hour the first day is mind-boggling. The Iranian captors, and the Iranian government, had absolutely no fear of Jimmy Carter's Big Stick. What they did fear, however, was Ronald Reagan's Big Stick. And they wanted no part of it.

President Obama's recent World Apology Tour and his constant criticism of American foreign policy has put the world on notice. The American Big Stick has been put away.

And, sadly, both friend and foe alike have taken notice.