A common theme that runs through President Obama's statements is
the idea the United States must atone for its past policies,
whether it is America's application of the war against Islamist
terrorism or its overall foreign policy. At the core of this
message is the concept that the U.S. is a flawed nation that must
seek redemption by apologizing for its past "sins."
On several occasions, President Obama has sought to apologize
for the actions of his own country when addressing a foreign
audience--including seven of the 10 apologies listed below. The
President has already apologized for his country to nearly 3
billion people across Europe, the Muslim world, and the
Americas.
The Obama Administration's strategy of unconditional engagement
with America's enemies combined with a relentless penchant for
apology-making is a dangerous recipe for failure. The overall
effect of this approach has been to weaken American power on the
world stage rather than strengthen it.
President Obama's personal approval ratings across much of the
world may be sky high, but that has not translated into greater
support for U.S.-led initiatives, such as the NATO mission in
Afghanistan, which is heavily dependent on American and British
troops. The U.S. is increasingly viewed as a soft touch
internationally, which has encouraged rogue regimes such as North
Korea and Iran to accelerate their nuclear and missile
programs.
As President Obama embarks this week on his second major
overseas tour, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany,
and France, the world does not need yet another apology from the
President. Rather, it is looking for strong and principled
leadership from the most powerful nation on the face of the earth.
American leadership is not a popularity contest, nor should it be
an exercise in self-loathing. Rather, it is about taking tough
positions that will be met with hostility in many parts of the
globe. Above all, it demands the assertive projection of American
power, both to secure the homeland and to protect America's
allies.
The following is a list of the 10 most significant apologies by
the President of the United States in his first four months of
office as they relate to foreign policy and national security
issues.
1. Apology to France and Europe
("America Has Shown Arrogance")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg,
France, April 3, 2009.[1]
So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years we've
allowed our Alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest
disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something
more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there's a
failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead
of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you
to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has
shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.
2. Apology to the Muslim World ("We
Have Not Been Perfect")
President Obama, interview with Al Arabiya, January 27,
2009.[2]
My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans
are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been
perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America
was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and
partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as
20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore
that.
3. Apology to the Summit of the
Americas ("At Times We Sought to Dictate Our Terms")
President Obama, address to the Summit of the Americas opening
ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April
17, 2009.[3]
All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one
another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled
in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the
United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the
hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we
sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an
equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in
our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect
and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new
chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my
administration.
The United States will be willing to acknowledge past errors
where those errors have been made.
4. Apology at the G-20 Summit of World
Leaders ("Some Restoration of America's Standing in the World")
News conference by President Obama, ExCel Center, London, United
Kingdom, April 2, 2009.[4]
I would like to think that with my election and the early
decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some
restoration of America's standing in the world. And although, as
you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to
indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's
leadership.
I just think in a world that is as complex as it is, that it is
very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed
to simply dictating solutions. Just to try to crystallize the
example, there's been a lot of comparison here about Bretton Woods.
"Oh, well, last time you saw the entire international architecture
being remade." Well, if there's just Roosevelt and Churchill
sitting in a room with a brandy, that's an easier negotiation. But
that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that
we live in.
5. Apology for the War on Terror ("We
Went off Course")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington,
D.C., May 21, 2009.[5]
Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government
made a series of hasty decisions. I believe that many of these
decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the
American people. But I also believe that all too often our
government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight; that
all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit
ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our
power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside
as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And during this season
of fear, too many of us--Democrats and Republicans, politicians,
journalists, and citizens--fell silent.
In other words, we went off course. And this is not my
assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the
American people who nominated candidates for President from both
major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new
approach--one that rejected torture and one that recognized the
imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
6. Apology for Guantanamo in France
("Sacrificing Your Values")
Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg,
France, April 3, 2009.[6]
Our two republics were founded in service of these ideals. In
America, it is written into our founding documents as "life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In France:
"Liberté"--absolutely--"egalité, fraternité."
Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of
our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values in our
nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for
expedience's sake. That's why I've ordered the closing of the
detention center in Guantanamo Bay. That's why I can stand here
today and say without equivocation or exception that the United
States of America does not and will not torture.
In dealing with terrorism, we can't lose sight of our values and
who we are. That's why I closed Guantanamo. That's why I made very
clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I
don't believe that there is a contradiction between our security
and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when
you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less
secure.
7. Apology before the Turkish Parliament ("Our Own
Darker Periods in Our History")
Speech by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament, Ankara,
Turkey, April 6, 2009.[7]
Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to
our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That's why,
in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo
Bay closed. That's why we prohibited--without exception or
equivocation--the use of torture. All of us have to change. And
sometimes change is hard.
Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the
future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still
working through some of our own darker periods in our history.
Facing the Washington Monument that I spoke of is a memorial of
Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even
after Washington led our Revolution. Our country still struggles
with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of
Native Americans.
Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History is often
tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy weight. Each country must
work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us
seize a better future.
8. Apology for U.S. Policy toward the Americas ("The
United States Has Not Pursued and Sustained Engagement with Our
Neighbors")
Opinion editorial by President Obama: "Choosing a Better Future
in the Americas," April 16, 2009.[8]
Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained
engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted
by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress
is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My
Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will
renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States
and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our
common security.
9. Apology for the Mistakes of the CIA
("Potentially We've Made Some Mistakes")
Remarks by the President to CIA employees, CIA Headquarters,
Langley, Virginia, April 20, 2009.[9] The remarks followed the
controversial decision to release Office of Legal Counsel memoranda
detailing CIA enhanced interrogation techniques used against
terrorist suspects.
So don't be discouraged by what's happened in the last few
weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially
we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we
are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is
precisely why I am proud to be President of the United States, and
that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA.
10. Apology for Guantanamo in
Washington ("A Rallying Cry for Our Enemies")
President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington,
D.C., May 21, 2009.[10]
There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral
authority that is America's strongest currency in the world.
Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al
Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our
government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law.
In fact, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the
first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be
beyond the law--a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly
rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter
terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit
terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely
created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.
So the record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison
at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a
rallying cry for our enemies.
Nile
Gardiner is the Director of, and Morgan Roach is Research
Assistant in, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The
Heritage Foundation.