Dear Editor:
When President Obama was questioned about countering the Islamic terrorists (ISIS) in Syria, his response was: “We don’t have a strategy yet,” and this exemplifies the status of our foreign policy.
The Obama Administrations has deferred our foreign policy decisions to other countries who defer back to the United States. It is a policy of procrastination based on hopes and dreams the world problems will fade away or be solved by foreign good guys in shining armor.
The results of our diplomatic pullback, our military cuts, and decreased readiness have allowed the Russians to take the Crimea, North Korea to threaten South Korea, China to flex its military might in the Western Pacific, Iran to develop nuclear weapons, and Islamic terrorists to establish a territory in Iraq and Syria for launching attacks in the Middle East and the world.
We cannot rely on other countries to take the lead in a dangerous world. As an example, since 2008 European governments have relinquished any leadership role by paying $165 million in ransom to Islamic terrorists for the release of European citizens. To deter and defeat aggression in the world, the United States has to provide global leadership in our foreign policy strategies and decisions.
Donald A. Moskowitz
Londonderry, NH
Graduate Penn State, Class of 1963