No More World Cop?

Where are the others?

Obama's speech was fine.  I was, however disppointed in hearing a speech pnl;y about America. It seems to me that we are only one of several nations with an intense interests in both Afghanistan and in our getting out of there.

Russia need peace there if it is to control its southern borders.  China's internal security depends on not offering el Qaeda a route of entry.  Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran all want to keep el Qaeda from rebuilding.

Yet ....

this war seems to be writ large as a US war with subscripts for NATO.

I suspect and trust that Obama and Co. HAVE been making efforts to expand the alliance with an eye to a peaceful ending.  Assuming that is true, I had hoped and still hope to see the structure of the war change from a US/NATO effort to an effort with strong support from other powers.

Where are they? Where are our natural allies?  Even in Europe, Germany and France are looking the other way while Americans die in THEIR defense. Japan is talking about downgrading even its token non combatant naval supply ships.

Obviously Obama can not talk about a grand alliance until one exists, but I hope something of the sort is brewing.  I think we need a revision of the Monroe Doctrine.  Monroe's commitment to non entanglement is at best a distant memory, thoroughly trashed by Bush's Doctrine of cowboy diplomacy.  Teddy Roosevelt may be more relevant as long as we understand that the most an American show of strength can do today is convince others that they ought not to poach on our own shores or vital interests elsewhere.

The era of US a world cop must come to an end.