WEST POINT, NY (Reuters) – President Barack Obama declared yesterday the United States cannot act alone in the world and pledged to shape a new “international order” as part of a national security strategy to seal his break with Bush-era policies.
Setting out his vision for keeping America safe as it fights wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama stressed international engagement over predecessor George W. Bush’s “cowboy diplomacy” and signalled his likely repudiation of Bush’s justifications for pre-emptive war.
“The burdens of this century cannot fall on our soldiers alone, it also cannot fall on American shoulders alone,” Obama told graduating cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point. “Our adversaries would like to see America sap its strength by overextending our power.”
Obama’s speech previewed his new National Security Strategy — required by law of every US president — to be released next week. His words suggested it would deviate sharply from Bush’s go-it-alone approach that placed US power over diplomacy in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Bush in 2002 laid out the “Bush Doctrine” asserting the right to wage pre-emptive war against countries and terrorist groups deemed a threat to the United States, part of a policy he called a “distinctly American internationalism.”
What followed was the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq despite the lack of formal UN authorization.
Since taking office last year, the Obama administration has fuelled speculation that the president’s new strategy will officially back away from that controversial concept.
Though Obama did not explicitly revoke the Bush Doctrine at West Point, he emphasized the need to prevent attacks through multilateral cooperation with intelligence agencies “working seamlessly with their counterparts to unravel plots.”
He also asserted that the only reason US forces continued fighting in Afghanistan was because “plotting persists to this day” there by al Qaeda militants behind the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Obama said the United States must strengthen existing alliances, build new partnerships and promote human rights worldwide as it pursues a strategy of global leadership.
“We are clear-eyed about the shortfalls of our international system,” he said. “But America has not succeeded by stepping out of the currents of cooperation.”
“We have to shape an international order that can meet the challenges of our generation,” he said.
Obama’s call for global cooperation was also a message to NATO allies in Afghanistan to stiffen their resolve when questions are being raised about their commitment to the war.
Obama kept up his outreach to the Muslim world. While accusing al Qaeda of distorting Islamic values, he avoided using terms like “war on terror” and “Islamo-fascists” that Bush employed regularly and which alienated many Muslims.
