Does President Obama have a doctrine that underlies his foreign policy? Over at Neo-neocon, the proprietor quotes my assertion: “From the perspective of Obama…our reduction to smallness and irrelevance represents a great success.” She extends my observation:

That is Obama’s goal, but I see it as a goal in the service of something more. He’s not just interested in smallness and irrelevance for their own sakes. He’s interested in weakening America’s influence, and in doing so he allows other forces to rise, forces that previous administrations had opposed. Those forces could be summarized as being either leftist or Islamicist, depending on the country and the situation. In studying Obama’s decisions in the foreign arena, it is difficult to escape the idea that Obama prefers that these groups gain more power around the world. And since he can’t come out directly for them, sometimes he must support them by apparent indirection and inaction. The Obama Doctrine.

There is a seeming contradiction between support for leftists and Islamists. In at least one respect the contradiction is only seeming. They are of course united in their hostility to the United States.

Submitted for your consideration…