How Obama Should Maneuver Against the 'Axis of Evil' 2.0

With U.N. Week offering him more awkward handshakes, the Right backing him into World War III scenarios, and a brand-new missile system offering him even fewer defenses, can the president play the bad diplomatic hand dealt by his predecessor? A game plan for hard-line regime talks.

Continue reading this week's World War Room column at Esquire.com.

Comments

[David Emery]

In general, I think the basic thrust in this column is well-reasoned. But I think you (Tom) underplay the potential role of India. Granted it'll be hard to keep Pakistan stable if we start playing to India, but I think we have more in common sociologically with India than China. Furthermore, it seems to me that having -2- emerging superpowers is better than just 1, allowing us to play China against India.

That being said, I'm afraid that the current debacle on health care is likely to steal Presidential attention away from the foreign strategic debates. This is all the more puzzling to me, since health care was Mr Obama's primary agenda item prior to the financial problems. So I would have expected him to be much more prepared to exercise leadership, with some thoughts and contingencies worked out in advance. Instead, we seem to be in constant improvisation from the administration on this one.