Bahukutumbi Raman is a retired officer of the Indian intelligence service and director of the Institute For Topical Studies, in Chennai, India. He is also associated with the Chennai Centre For China Studies.
He wrote Is Obama Another Jimmy Carter?:
"After Obama assumed office in January, whatever hesitation that existed in North Korea's policy-making circles regarding the likely response of U.S. administration has disappeared, and its leadership now feels it can defy the U.S. and the international community with impunity.
A series of actions taken by the Obama administration have created an impression in Iran, the "Af-Pak" region, China and North Korea that Obama does not have the political will to retaliate decisively to acts that are detrimental to U.S. interests, and to international peace and security."
In other words, he is talking weakness.
What happens when your president goes around apologizing to everybody?
Or, what about when he sits for 50 minutes and allows Daniel Ortega to take cheap shots at the US?
Or, what happens when the Israeli president goes home wondering if the US is ready to accept a nuclear Iran?
It adds up. It doesn't take long for the world to conclude that BO won't fight for anything, except a woman's right to have an abortion.
I hope that Mr. Raman is wrong about this:
"There will be more surprises for the U.S. and the international community to follow if Obama and his aides do not embark on corrective actions before it is too late."
I fear that Mr. Raman is right.
"Hope and change" is going to look a lot like "weakness" and "appeasement".
"Mr. Obama won the White House while promising that his brand of kinder, gentler diplomacy would better rally the world against bad actors.
Now would be a good time, and North Korea the right place, to prove it."
