The times they are a changing

Caroline Glick sees a testing time ahead in a period which she characterizes as the sudden end of American predominance. She describes the rapidly shifting scene in the Jerusalem Post.

In just a few short weeks, the new administration of President Barack Obama has managed to weaken the perception of American power and embolden US adversaries throughout the world. … Take Russia for example. Since coming into office, Obama has repeatedly tried to build an alliance with the “newly emboldened” Russian bear. A week after entering office, he announced that he hoped to negotiate a nuclear disarmament agreement with Russia that would reduce the US’s nuclear stockpiles by 80 percent. …

Responding to these American signals, the Russians proceeded to humiliate Washington. Last week President Dmitry Medvedev hosted Kyrgyzstan’s President Kurmanbak Bakiyev in Moscow. After their meeting the two announced that Russia will give the former Soviet republic $2 billion in loans and assistance and that Kyrgyzstan will close the US Air Force base at Manas which serves American forces in Afghanistan.

Last Friday, the Pakistanis tested Obama. The Supreme Court freed Pakistan’s Dr. Strangelove – A.Q. Khan – from the house arrest he had been under since his nuclear proliferation racket was exposed by the Libyans in 2004. … Already on Sunday Khan announced his plan to travel abroad immediately. For its part, the court in Islamabad specifically stated that Khan is free to resume his “scientific research.”

For his part, Obama gave them good reason to believe he could be intimidated. By letting it be known that he intended for his special envoy to the region Richard Holbrook’s job to include responsibility for pressuring US ally India to reach a peace agreement with Pakistan over the disputed Jammu and Kashmir province in spite of clear proof that Pakistani intelligence was the mastermind of the December terror attacks in Mumbai, Obama showed that he was willing to defend Pakistan’s “honor” and so accept its continued bad behavior.

Etc, etc. The general tenor of Caroline’s piece is that we are in for a wild ride. Is she right? Time alone will tell. There’s going to be Change for sure. Will you survive? Better Hope.