(USNewsMag.com) – A former Secretary General of NATO and former Prime Minister of Denmark just slammed former President Barack Obama, blaming him for laying the groundwork that knocked the US off of its pedestal as the world police due to “hesitance.”
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO Secretary General who also served as Denmark’s 24th Prime Minister, was recently interviewed by Politico and said that America no longer projects an image of strength around the globe. He believes the trend of retreating from the Middle East and allowing US enemies to run amok didn’t start under former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden, but under the Obama administration.
Rasmussen said that the escalation around Taiwan, in Israel and the Middle East, and in Ukraine, are all due to “American hesitance to actually lead.”
The Danish politician said that the US and Europe responded too weakly to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which Rasmussen said emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin and resulted in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He also said the US must be clearer about how it will respond to China in the event of an invasion of Taiwan.
“Time and again,” Rasmussen told Politico, when the US does not exercise “global leadership,” we see “bad guys take advantage of the situation.” He added that when American “leads,” the “bad guys retreat.”
NATO recently signed a $1.2 billion artillery contract for its member nations to help replenish ammunition sent to Ukraine and to make sure more is available to help in their war effort. NATO’s current Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the new artillery contract is “important” for member nation’s territorial defense, building up their own stock, and “to continue to support Ukraine.” He added that a Russian victory “would be a tragedy” for Ukraine and “dangerous” for the world.
According to Rasmussen, the solution to all of these conflicts is “a global policeman,” a job he believes only the US has the power to exercise.
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