The End of Cowboy Diplomacy

Issue date: 11/11/08 Section: A new dawn in diplomacy has arisen with the election of Barack Obama. After eight years of being lost in the woods, Obama can reverse America's decline on the world stage. Campaign slogans such as, "Change We Can Believe In" lead me to believe that he possesses the leadership skills necessary to restore the world's faith in America. But our foreign policy can't be built on buzzwords alone. The electoral courtship has come to an end. Now, the commitment to global leadership begins. Iraq - America's new four-letter word. Peace is possible in that country, but it will be an imperfect peace. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki is more of a pragmatic politician than an America-basher. Obama can start our extrication from Iraq and empower the Malaki government and the Iraqi people to resolve their own... [read full story]