While there were certain aspects of a recent column on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that I enjoyed reading, I was overwhelmed by the vagueness of the column and the lack of credible facts or sources Joseph Misulonas used to craft his argument. I too saw the film “Argo” and believe the author uses the film well to frame his opinion on Carter’s foreign policy, yet the tone of commentary on Obama’s foreign policy I found very misleading. Misulonas references instances of “bombing towns without warning” multiple times in his column. I do not recall an instance in the past four years when American troops have targeted specific towns and killed innocent civilians in the Middle East. Even in Iraq our troop’s mission was targeting leaders of terrorist organizations not civilians.This artificial and misleading use of language should not be so common in Daily columns as it decreases the credibility of the paper. If the author cited specific examples of these bombing and killings this would not be an issue.
I question the author’s negative tone when referencing events such as drone usage in Libya or the killing of Osama Bin Laden as both of these events were positive and effective actions taken by Obama to enhance security in the Middle East and prevent future loss of life. I do not see the problem with a U.S. president being assertive and action-oriented in terms of foreign policy. While the author argues that Carter’s use of diplomacy would be useful in the current Middle East climate, in today’s Middle East there is much more at stake than in the late 70s. Today we face a possible nuclear Iran, the continuing rise of Islamist terrorist groups, and transitioning countries such as Egypt and Libya that need guidance. The U.S. president can not sit by and hope diplomacy and negotiations will save the day for regional security. He must be active and show that U.S. will act to defend our allies and maintain stability. This is exactly what Obama has done and the world is better off because of it.
Jonathan Kamel, Weinberg freshman
