Newsweek: Obama the "True Realist" on Foreign Policy

He's been called a naive idealist. But in terms of foreign policy, he's the true realist in the race.

Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria wrote these words today in a very interesting piece on Barack Obama's "Realist" foreign policy ideas. In the article, Zakaria argues that while the Republicans criticize Obama as having "naive" ideas, it may be the republicans who are naive in the end:

Obama has elaborated more and more the ideas that would undergird his foreign policy as president. What emerges is a world view that is far from that of a typical liberal, much closer to that of a traditional realist.

Zakaria goes on to describe how out-of-touch conservative leaders are with the world, and the way it works.

Ironically, the Republicans now seem to be the foreign-policy idealists, labeling countries as either good or evil, refusing to deal with nasty regimes, fixating on spreading democracy throughout the world and refusing to think in more historical and complex ways.

The article concludes by contrasting the very different world-views of Obama and McCain, concluding that Obama's ideas will carry us forward:

In the end, the difference between Obama and McCain might come down to something beyond ideology - "temperament." McCain is a pessimist about the world, seeing it as a dark, dangerous place where, without the constant and vigorous application of American force, evil will triumph. Obama sees a world that is in many ways going our way. As nations develop, they become more modern and enmeshed in the international economic and political system.... America's job is to push these progressive forces forward.... Call him an Optimistic Realist, or a Realistic Optimist. But don't call him naive.

Click Here to read the entire article.

Best,
D. Tree