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At Large
Personalities and Politics
Personal friendships and disagreements play an important role on the world stage.
It’s been over a month now and the chattering classes are still engrossed in the conflict between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu. There was no question that the joint press conference held after their White House meeting showed two men barely disguising their personal dislike for each other. That sort of personalization of political affairs is supposed to be beneath the level of professionalism expected to guide such appearances. Apparently it wasn’t in this case.
While the Bibi/Barack animosity currently is first in the list of important political personality conflicts, Obama is not very high in Vladimir Putin’s BFF calculations. In a way, the Israeli and Russian prime ministers share the same disdain for the U.S. president. Neither of them view Obama as a serious and experienced leader. Both Netanyahu and Putin have extensive professional political backgrounds as well as former lives in military special operations (Netanyahu) and intelligence (Putin). Both consider themselves warriors. Obama is not a member of their club and thus does not have their respect. Obama’s preferred opposite number is Dimitry Medvedev, a trained lawyer, academically oriented and an instinctive negotiator.
Another example of influential personality conflict has existed between the privileged Hamid Karzai and the top American representatives. Karzai is a rich, well-traveled, multi-lingual sophisticate. Some might question the latter characteristic, but that’s how he views himself. The American ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, formerly the military commander in Afghanistan, is finally leaving that country with a record of having had virtually no personal relations with President Karzai other than repeated disagreements. In the end it has been reported that the animosity was so great the two men barely spoke to each other.
The late Richard Holbrooke, who certainly was as sophisticated as Karzai, also flunked the Karzai social test. So much for US/Afghan diplomatic relations. The fact that President Obama lacked respect for Karzai – and it became known — did not help. Only smooth-as-silk Dave Petraeus and successful counter-insurgent Stan McChrystal have had the Afghan president’s respect. The new American ambassador, Ryan Crocker of Iraq War fame, is hoped to be able to carry the right magic.
The Americans aren’t the only ones plagued by political personality disorders. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, apparently has severely blotted his copy book — as the British would say — in respect to his relations with the Supreme Leader, Ayatiollah Ali Khamenei. Poor old Mahmoud began to think he actually was the man in charge in Teheran. As an example to all around him regarding who was boss, he dumped the intelligence minister. He had to reverse himself on that little faux pas, but went ahead later in May of this year to fire the oil minister and took over the job himself.
Whatever gave Mahmoud the idea that he could effectively ignore the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader in this manner is beyond understanding. They struck back at Ahmadinejad’s effrontery and said his action was illegal and implied even possible criminality. Deaf, dumb and blind the Iranian president is not, so what perverse logic was in play in this affair?
The German newspapers and the influential magazine, Der Spiegel have made a great deal out of the refusal of Chancellor Angela Merkel to acquiesce to the requests of her “good friend” Barack Obama to have Germany share the military and financial burden of the UN-approved action against Qaddafi’s Libya. The real story, however, is the personal and political breakdown between Angela and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. This was exactly the kind of joint military operation the two leaders of the EU had often spoken about. When Nicolas asked her to dance, Angela declined to do the Anglo-French waltz.
Now the buzz about Europe is that “Kaiserin” Angela is more than a little miffed at Nicky for taking for granted dear old Deutschland — and her. She had already made clear that she and Germany did not care for this military business anymore. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming into Afghanistan, and Sarkozy obviously ignored that. Just a lovers’ quarrel? Not according to those who know, say the Euro tabloids.
So there it goes: Fidel loves Hugo Chavez, but brother Raul is worried over Hugo’s broader ambitions as Latin America’s socialist revolutionary leader. Venezuela’s provision of 100,000 bpd of cut-rate oil to Havana has softened Raul’s personal attitude. Bashar al-Assad thought his mild manner and British wife would be all that was needed to keep the Brits on his side. Wrong! David Cameron thought his newly-developed friendship with Barack Obama would give him some back-up in warding off Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s dressing-down over Cameron’s forthright stand on Beijing’s human rights record. It didn’t happen. So much for friends when you need them on that issue.
There are of course dozens more instances where politics and personalities influence international events. We haven’t even begun to touch on the sexual misbehaviors such as Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s recent interlude with the hotel maid. That lost him his IMF job and possibly the French presidency. Remember Lady Edwina Mountbatten’s 1947 dalliance with Pandit Nehru? There’s still controversy over that matter in Britain and India today.
About the Author
George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.
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D. Singh| 7.15.11 @ 6:26AM
Sir
Please no more pictures of Gordon 'Count Dracula' Brown.
He was the Prime Minister that signed the hated Lisbon Treaty (aka the European Constitution) and locked Great Britain into the EUSSR.
Please.
masly | 7.18.11 @ 1:39AM
Obama is going to STEAMROLLER you guy's in 2012, the fix is 'IN' Chicago Style. You 'think' the game is Checkers, all the while the President is playing 3D Chess.
I am a 28 years old doctor, mature and beautiful.and now I am seeking a good man who can give me real love , so i got a username Andromeda2002 on--s'e'ek'c'ou'ga'r.c óm--.it is the first and best club for y'ounger women and old'er men, or older women and y'ounger men,to int'eract with each other. Maybe you wanna ch'eck 'it out or tell your friends!
Mike Hawk| 7.15.11 @ 8:07AM
The Oborg promised to change the US image in the world. He has certainly done that... to our embarrassment and shame.
POST American| 7.15.11 @ 8:23AM
---Chicken feed '80's Show' DIS-traction ALERT!--
CUT TO THE CHASE
Bring us steady, unflinching and sustained coverage
of the figures pulling the strings and
setting the stage. Figures such as David Rockefeller and
Eduard de Rothchild.
Unaccountable, openly psychopathic, utterly
ruthless, and ever at the helm of the global
plunderings, and worldwide cultural destruction at the service of EUGENICS programming.
You might, for starters, take a look at the awesome
destruction underway right now in India thanks
to those dadly GM foods (stomach cancer/ sterility/ organ failure/ diabetes) --hosted by
Monsanto in conjunction with Rothchild.
Remember kiddies, these are the boys who
brought in the Poor Laws (the work houses),
the Corn Laws (flooding Britain with cheap
corn to get farmers off the land and into their
deadly factories), destroyed British textiles with cheap imports, ran African slavery, and the
thrice over destruction of Old China (opium,
'Calm-you-nism, and now Fascist 'CAP-IT-ALL-ism and the hideous EUGENICS genocides).
STOP wasting our time with these puppets
from this overly managed stage show during
these final rounds of the Globalization
TREASON op.
Special note: Eduard de Rothchild was the man
who first came out publicly with the carbon tax
debt-plantation concept for the world --all to be
handled by his family's ominously titled
'Bank of International Settlements'.
AGAIN -----REALLY -----PLEASE!
Handy| 7.15.11 @ 10:42AM
Geez POST American,
Ask the orderlies in your insane asylum to proofread your contribtions before you click on the submit button.
I am sure that we all wish you a speedy recovery.
Alan Brooks| 7.15.11 @ 4:18PM
He might be a put-on-- no one could be THAT much of a wingnut? reminiscent of an SNL parody.
Alan Brooks| 7.16.11 @ 5:06PM
but thanks, Dee See/POSTamerican:
you make Daphne Kenward seem less insane; me seem almost sane; Clint seem perfectly normal. You make us feel better...
GLAD THAT WE ARE NOT YOU!
Thank God for small favors.
Occam's Tool| 7.17.11 @ 5:43AM
Dee See and POST american:
I have no idea what you guys are trying to say, but you certainly are better than Clint.
Alan Brooks| 7.17.11 @ 8:45PM
Clint merely has bad memes dumped into his head by his father the colonel; Clint doesn't know that Israel is the closest thing to a civilized nation in the Mideast. Clint is sane.
But "Dee See [he probably lives in DC]/PostAmerican" is a raving conspiracy theorist-- why he hasn't gotten around to Halliburton and controlled demolition, in all the months he has een commenting here, is a mystery.
But be patient!
Alan Brooks| 7.17.11 @ 8:51PM
...Dee See/Post is CARICATURE of a conspiracy fanatic!:
"Eugenics Alan Watt Monsanto fluoridated Essence of GM Corn Laws The Effect Of Gamma Rays On Man In The Moon Marigolds Rothschild Illuminati Rockefeller Queen of England Jesuits Eleanor Roosevelt's Buck Teeth Leering At Me In My Sleep..."
Dan Mathewson| 7.18.11 @ 12:29AM
Yeah. Definitely conspiracy. Rockefellers. Yeah, gotta watch out for the Rockefellers. And the CFR. Yeah.
Gretchen| 7.17.11 @ 7:57PM
DITTO!!!
Doctor Right| 7.15.11 @ 9:43AM
Nice picture...
In the front row we have a supporter of Islamic terrorism, a Communist Dictator, and a tired old leftist hack.
In the back, we have a Marxist ideologue with a razor-thin resume, a serial molester of women, and a puppet-ruler for Europe's next big Dictator...
And this is leadership?
No wonder our world is so screwed-up...
Michael L. Hauschild| 7.15.11 @ 7:05PM
The only thing that would make it better would be a lit fuse in that turban.
Joe Pa| 7.16.11 @ 8:01AM
Probably a bunch of Catholics in disguise. Another damn Catholic Plot!
Occam's Tool| 7.16.11 @ 4:35PM
Where's our resident Knight Of Columbus to answer this horrid Calumny? No doubt out self-fertilizing again. (Mind you, I have no canine in this spat. I simply note the Absence of The Dark Lord.)
Clint| 7.17.11 @ 6:57AM
We Just Allow American Spectator's Resident Screwball Israel Firster Fanatic, Tool Job To Make Another Snide Anti-Catholic Remark & Let American Spectator Readers Figure It Out.
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates.
Carpe Diem.
mames| 7.15.11 @ 10:35AM
wrong premise. leaders do not need to like each other to get things done. there are no other governments in the world like ours and we have no reason to kiss anyone's butt. I dont care if all the leaders of the world hate us as long as we remain faithful to our Constitution which is often violated to get along with the world.
Paul Kotik| 7.15.11 @ 2:33PM
I can't think of a more certain sign of humanity's immaturity - nay, utter primitivism ! - than that the personal relationships of national leaders influence statecraft. How deeply narcissistic. It is about them, after all.
The whole point of states is that they're not people, isn't it?
Doctor Right| 7.15.11 @ 2:37PM
No, that would be a true Republic.
"The state" is often fused with the leader's personality.
What did Louis XIV say? "Je suis l'etat!"
Joe Pa| 7.16.11 @ 8:03AM
Damn Catholics again.
Stuart Koehl| 7.16.11 @ 9:36PM
'What did Louis XIV say? "Je suis l'etat!"'
Nope. It was "L'etat, c'est moi."
Gretchen| 7.17.11 @ 8:02PM
Dr. Right,
Actually it was "L'etat c'est moi."
Pat| 7.15.11 @ 3:53PM
Personal scandals and personal foibles, we’ve heard it all before. In fact, I did read all about it just last week while waiting in the checkout line at Safeway. We can’t take the “human” out of human affairs, although President Obama has sworn to do something about our nation’s deteriorating mental health and the constant poisoning we receive from those human interest magazines you thumb through while the cashier laser scans your milk and bread. “Us” magazine, “People” magazine and the Wall Street Journal are receiving increased federal scrutiny to determine if their unserious content leads to mental instability.
Obama’s advisors have noticed Americans appear overly obsessed with which film, rock or sports celebrity recently became pregnant, divorced, was cheated on or landed in jail for shoplifting at Nieman-Marcus. Informing Americans about the serious goals of the federal government has unfortunately taken a backseat to Lindsay Lohan’s 12th most recent jail stay and Sandra Bullock’s visitation rights with Jesse’s daughter from a former marriage.
And President Obama vehemently denies his checkout stand mental health campaign is targeting lower class white Americans, those guns and bible freaks, because they won’t support him in the polls. “Absurd accusation”, as one of Obama’s handlers put it recently. In fact, President Obama is wont to celebrate his own lower class roots, fortunately well behind him, by insisting that he should be betrayed as a simple, barefoot graduate of Harvard law school who went on to the White House in order to bring Hope, and maybe some Change as well.
In an upcoming Hollywood movie, a graying Denzel Washington will portray a future Barack Obama reminiscing on his past life in politics, Sam Worthington will be cast as Obama when he was white and before he went to Chicago only to discover he was actually black - the plot of the movie is how a simple man rose to the top office in our government and yet managed to remain simple.
POST American| 7.16.11 @ 1:06AM
---MUST SEE VIDEO---
'The Checkist' new film detailing the
modes and practices of the Soviet and
East European security establishment.
Remember kiddies ---NO trials. Not even
much exposure.
IN FACT, they're still alive and well (--funded) colluding and assisting with operations ---right here...
CHECK IT OUT ---some night when you're
tired of playing the compliant school girl by watching the usual 'macho' sports n' porn.
Kingofthenet| 7.17.11 @ 2:05PM
Obama is going to STEAMROLLER you guy's in 2012, the fix is 'IN' Chicago Style. You 'think' the game is Checkers, all the while the President is playing 3D Chess.
Republican Network | 7.19.11 @ 2:21AM
This article shows some good points that if you have a personality that doesn't allow you to work with other people, your most likely not going to get anything done in Washington. Every decent president has to have some car salesman in them :)
mattikallio | 8.22.11 @ 6:32PM
In fact, President Obama is wont to celebrate his own lower class roots, fortunately well behind him, by insisting that he should be betrayed as a simple, barefoot graduate of Harvard law school who went on to the White House in order to bring Hope, and maybe some Change as well.