![\"Our](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/credit-national-post.jpg\")
<\/a>Our dri\u00adve-by inter\u00adven\u00adtion accom\u00adplished regime change in Libya, but the coun\u00adtry has still not recov\u00adered from its lib\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion. [Cred\u00adit: Nation\u00adal Post]<\/p><\/div>The Con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion requires Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma to leave office in 700 days. If he has his way, Vladimir Putin and Ben\u00adjamin Netanyahu will pre\u00adcede him into pri\u00advate life.\n
It should not be sur\u00adpris\u00ading that a Pres\u00adi\u00addent who prides him\u00adself on refus\u00ading to nego\u00adti\u00adate with elect\u00aded rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtives has so lit\u00adtle patience with some of his fel\u00adlow nation\u00adal lead\u00aders. Or that regime change has become a lead\u00ading char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtic of the Pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adt\u2019s for\u00adeign policy. <\/p>\n
One out\u00adcome of that pol\u00adi\u00adcy was on dis\u00adplay last Sun\u00adday when an Islam\u00adic State (IS<\/span>) affil\u00adi\u00adate in Libya released video of the group decap\u00adi\u00adtat\u00ading 21 Egypt\u00adian Christians.<\/p>\n It was a bit\u00adter and chill\u00ading reminder of the President\u2019s first and most vio\u00adlent for\u00aday into regime change \u2013 the over\u00adthrow of for\u00admer Libyan Pres\u00adi\u00addent Muam\u00admar Qaddafi. The U.S. bom\u00adbard\u00adment of Libya top\u00adpled Qaddafi and pro\u00adduced what Jon Lee Ander\u00adson, writ\u00ading in the New York\u00ader<\/a>,<\/span> calls \u201cthe tyran\u00adny of a dan\u00adger\u00adous and per\u00adva\u00adsive insta\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty.\u201d Last Sunday\u2019s behead\u00adings pow\u00ader\u00adful\u00adly remind\u00aded us of the deprav\u00adi\u00adty this insta\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty has produced.<\/p>\n Our strat\u00ade\u00adgy in Libya eeri\u00adly par\u00adal\u00adlels our cur\u00adrent cam\u00adpaign against Islam\u00adic State in Syr\u00adia and Iraq. We con\u00adduct\u00aded airstrikes from a safe dis\u00adtance in sup\u00adport of unsa\u00advory fac\u00adtions on the ground, each exploit\u00ading our offen\u00adsives to its own ends. And as in our present war against IS<\/span>, we had no plan for pick\u00ading up the pieces in Libya once hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adties ceased. Our efforts pro\u00adduced chaos and blood\u00adshed, for which the Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion is pre\u00addictably unrepentant.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>We were keen for the Libyans to take the lead,\u201d White House Deputy Nation\u00adal Secu\u00adri\u00adty Coun\u00adcil Advis\u00ader Ben Rhodes told Ander\u00adson. \u201cEvery\u00adone knows the dan\u00adgers of a com\u00adplete\u00adly U.S.-owned post\u00adwar envi\u00adron\u00adment. We might have used a heav\u00adier hand, but there\u2019s no guar\u00adan\u00adtee it would have made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Once Qaddafi was gone, the U.S. made no dif\u00adfer\u00adence at all. A year after his fall, Libyan ter\u00adror\u00adists asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded with an al Qae\u00adda off\u00adshoot attacked our diplo\u00admat\u00adic facil\u00adi\u00adty in Beng\u00adhazi, killing four Amer\u00adi\u00adcans. By last sum\u00admer, we had evac\u00adu\u00adat\u00aded our diplo\u00admat\u00adic per\u00adson\u00adnel. Libya has become what one mil\u00adi\u00adtary con\u00adtrac\u00adtor called \u201cscum\u00adbag Wood\u00adstock<\/a>,<\/span>\u201d draw\u00ading Islam\u00adic extrem\u00adists from across the region to its grue\u00adsome fes\u00adti\u00adval. It is no sur\u00adprise that IS<\/span> affil\u00adi\u00adates have found their way to this twist\u00aded Yasgur\u2019s farm.<\/p>\n Per\u00adhaps we will return to Libya one day. As improb\u00ada\u00adble as it seems, the Pres\u00adi\u00addent has us back at war in Iraq, an inter\u00adven\u00adtion that we under\u00adtook only once Bagh\u00addad had met our demand for regime change. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent con\u00addi\u00adtioned esca\u00adlat\u00ading mil\u00adi\u00adtary inter\u00adven\u00adtion<\/a> against the IS<\/span> on their dump\u00ading Nouri al-Mali\u00adki, whose Dawa par\u00adty fin\u00adished first in last April\u2019s elec\u00adtion. The Iraqis oblig\u00aded. The new gov\u00adern\u00adment in Bagh\u00addad, mean\u00adwhile, is no bet\u00adter than the one we insist\u00aded be replaced. Sec\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan divi\u00adsions<\/a> have per\u00adsist\u00aded and grown more vio\u00adlent, Shi\u00adite mili\u00adtias con\u00adtin\u00adue to fill in for an incom\u00adpe\u00adtent army, and the new gov\u00adern\u00adment of Haider al-Aba\u00addi is no less cor\u00adrupt than Maliki\u2019s.<\/p>\n Our dab\u00adbling in regime change isn\u2019t always accom\u00adpa\u00adnied mil\u00adi\u00adtary inter\u00adven\u00adtion. Part of our exit strat\u00ade\u00adgy for Afghanistan was to install a leader we could deal with once our troops depart\u00aded. The Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion went all in behind Abdul\u00adlah Abdul\u00adlah, whom they regard\u00aded as a sure thing to win last year\u2019s elec\u00adtions. But the redun\u00addant\u00adly named can\u00addi\u00addate threat\u00adened to start a civ\u00adil war once it became clear he\u2019d lost. Only exten\u00adsive diplo\u00adma\u00adcy by Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State John Ker\u00adry man\u00adaged to turn what might have been a dis\u00adas\u00adter into a mere omi\u00adnous turn of events. Afghanistan\u2019s frac\u00adtious and unsta\u00adble gov\u00adern\u00adment seeks to hang on as the dead\u00adline for U.S. troop with\u00addraw\u00adal nears.<\/p>\n Some\u00adtimes the Pres\u00adi\u00addent has a hard time decid\u00ading whether or not he wants regime change. He called for the over\u00adthrow of Syr\u00adi\u00adan Pres\u00adi\u00addent Bashar al-Assad in 2011 and in August 2013 threat\u00adened airstrikes to facil\u00adi\u00adtate his ouster. But the night before Con\u00adgress was to vote on whether to autho\u00adrize the mil\u00adi\u00adtary action, the Pres\u00adi\u00addent deliv\u00adered a nation\u00adal address announc\u00ading that he\u2019d changed his mind. Today we are bomb\u00ading some of Assad\u2019s oppo\u00adnents while prepar\u00ading to train and equip rebels that we\u2019ve \u201cvet\u00adted.\u201d It\u2019s not clear whether we\u2019re try\u00ading to get rid of Assad or keep him in power.<\/p>\n But while the Pres\u00adi\u00addent can\u2019t seem to make up his mind about Assad, he has been a rock of con\u00adsis\u00adten\u00adcy on want\u00adi\u00adng Ben\u00adjamin Netanyahu shunt\u00aded aside. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent can bare\u00adly con\u00adceal his con\u00adtempt for the Israeli prime min\u00adis\u00adter and no longer even tries. In 2011 he was inad\u00adver\u00adtent\u00adly caught on a micro\u00adphone com\u00adplain\u00ading<\/a> that he was \u201ctired\u201d of Netanyahu and of hav\u00ading to \u201cdeal with him every day.\u201d<\/p>\n And while House Speak\u00ader John Boehner\u2019s [R\u2011OH<\/span>] deci\u00adsion to invite Netanyahu to address a joint ses\u00adsion of Con\u00adgress next month has been wide\u00adly crit\u00adi\u00adcized, the more telling devel\u00adop\u00adment was the President\u2019s deci\u00adsion to snub the Israeli leader dur\u00ading his sched\u00aduled vis\u00adit to Wash\u00ading\u00adton for next month\u2019s AIPAC<\/span> con\u00adven\u00adtion. The offi\u00adcial White House expla\u00adna\u00adtion \u2013 that Oba\u00adma doesn\u2019t want to influ\u00adence the Israeli elec\u00adtions \u2013 is an implau\u00adsi\u00adble eva\u00adsion. Oba\u00adma wants noth\u00ading more than to influ\u00adence the elec\u00adtions and rid him\u00adself of Netanyahu, though it is per\u00adhaps a mere coin\u00adci\u00addence that one of his for\u00admer polit\u00adi\u00adcal oper\u00ada\u00adtives<\/a> is pro\u00advid\u00ading cam\u00adpaign advice to an Israeli oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion party.<\/p>\n The Pres\u00adi\u00addent may well get his wish on Netanyahu, who is embroiled in a scan\u00addal over alleged finan\u00adcial malfea\u00adsance<\/a>. What\u00adev\u00ader the out\u00adcome, Israel is a durable democ\u00adra\u00adcy com\u00admit\u00adted to the rule of law that will tol\u00ader\u00adate a change of lead\u00aders with\u00adout tur\u00admoil or unrest.<\/p>\n The same can\u2019t be said for the coun\u00adtry on which the Pres\u00adi\u00addent inflict\u00aded his most dam\u00adag\u00ading for\u00aday into regime change: Ukraine. A lit\u00adtle more than a year ago, Assis\u00adtant Sec\u00adre\u00adtary of State Vic\u00adto\u00adria Nuland<\/a> and a parade of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan diplo\u00admat\u00adic offi\u00adcials pub\u00adlicly backed pro\u00adtest\u00aders in Kiev\u2019s Maid\u00adan Square who were call\u00ading for the ouster of Ukraine\u2019s elect\u00aded pres\u00adi\u00addent Vik\u00adtor Yanukovych. Her boss John Ker\u00adry issued a state\u00adment assur\u00ading demon\u00adstra\u00adtors that \u201cthe Unit\u00aded States stands with the peo\u00adple of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ukraini\u00adans would learn soon enough that the U.S. had no inten\u00adtion of mak\u00ading good on Kerry\u2019s pledge. On Feb\u00adru\u00adary 21, Yanukovych signed an agree\u00adment<\/a> with the Maid\u00adan protest lead\u00aders allow\u00ading him to remain in office until elec\u00adtions lat\u00ader in the year. The Rus\u00adsians and the EU<\/span> wit\u00adnessed the agree\u00adment, which seemed to have brought the months-long stand\u00adoff to a peace\u00adful conclusion.<\/p>\n But instead of dis\u00adpers\u00ading, the pro\u00adtes\u00adtors on the fol\u00adlow\u00ading day seized con\u00adtrol of gov\u00adern\u00adment build\u00adings, oust\u00aded Yanukovych and declared a new gov\u00adern\u00adment. The U.S. rec\u00adog\u00adnized the new\u00adly-pro\u00adclaimed regime as Ukraine\u2019s legit\u00adi\u00admate rulers.<\/p>\n Putin was momen\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adly unable to respond, as the Win\u00adter Olympic Games in Sochi were wind\u00ading down. But Russ\u00adian offi\u00adcials denounced the pro\u00adtest\u00aders\u2019 actions as a coup. The U.S. and EU<\/span> con\u00adtin\u00adue to reject this characterization.<\/p>\n What is remark\u00adable about this action is that the White House either did not antic\u00adi\u00adpate Putin\u2019s reac\u00adtion to the ouster of Ukraine\u2019s elect\u00aded leader or didn\u2019t care about the con\u00adse\u00adquences. It still has no plan to reverse the seizure of Crimea that occurred just a few days after the Sochi clos\u00ading cer\u00ade\u00admonies or the fight\u00ading that has left pro-Russ\u00adian rebels in con\u00adtrol of por\u00adtions of east\u00adern Ukraine.<\/p>\n We active\u00adly encour\u00adaged regime change in Ukraine with\u00adout count\u00ading the cost, then stood aside as Putin sys\u00adtem\u00adat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dis\u00admem\u00adbered a Euro\u00adpean coun\u00adtry with\u00adout mil\u00adi\u00adtary con\u00adse\u00adquence. And though we have no solu\u00adtion for the mis\u00adery that grips Ukraine, the Pres\u00adi\u00addent may well hope that he has a solu\u00adtion to one of the sources of that mis\u00adery: Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n Even the Pres\u00adi\u00addent must know that the sanc\u00adtions we\u2019ve imposed on Rus\u00adsia won\u2019t deter Putin from his Ukrain\u00adian adven\u00adtures. It is like\u00adly that their pur\u00adpose is to stir dis\u00adcon\u00adtent with Putin among the Russ\u00adian oli\u00adgarchy in hopes of pro\u00advok\u00ading his ouster. Alexan\u00adder Motyl laid out that line of think\u00ading in a recent edi\u00adtion of For\u00adeign Affairs<\/a>. Motyl argues that Putin\u2019s days are num\u00adbered and it is hard to escape the con\u00adclu\u00adsion that this is pre\u00adcise\u00adly what Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma intends.<\/p>\n But even Motyl con\u00adcedes that sack\u00ading Putin would prob\u00ada\u00adbly not lead to a more open, demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic or pro-West\u00adern Russ\u00adian gov\u00adern\u00adment. Putin\u2019s suc\u00adces\u00adsor, Motyl writes, \u201cis like\u00adly to be a hard\u00adlin\u00ader.\u201d For the Pres\u00adi\u00addent, that would like\u00adly be an accept\u00adable out\u00adcome, so long as Putin is gone.<\/p>\n Putin\u2019s ouster would per\u00adhaps be the crown\u00ading achieve\u00adment of a for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy that lacks pur\u00adpose and coher\u00adence, fails to iden\u00adti\u00adfy ends that align with our inter\u00adests, and takes action with\u00adout think\u00ading through the con\u00adse\u00adquences. With\u00addraw\u00ading abrupt\u00adly from Iraq, bomb\u00ading Libya, mis\u00adlead\u00ading Ukrain\u00adian demon\u00adstra\u00adtors into believ\u00ading we had their backs, and attack\u00ading IS<\/span> from the air while avoid\u00ading direct com\u00adbat<\/a> may scratch a polit\u00adi\u00adcal itch, but expe\u00addi\u00adence is not a strat\u00ade\u00adgy. Noth\u00ading is more cost\u00adly than inter\u00adven\u00adtion on the cheap.<\/p>\n Much more is required of a Pres\u00adi\u00addent who believes that Amer\u00adi\u00adca should pro\u00advide lead\u00ader\u00adship in an increas\u00ading\u00adly chaot\u00adic world. Let\u2019s hope that the Pres\u00adi\u00addent who takes office in 700 days is up to the task.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adtion requires Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma to leave office in 700 days. If he has his way, Vladimir Putin and Ben\u00adjamin Netanyahu will pre\u00adcede him into pri\u00advate life. It should not be sur\u00adpris\u00ading that a Pres\u00adi\u00addent who prides him\u00adself on refus\u00ading to \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading