Defeating Khadaffi was certainly not immoral, mind you. But it would not have been high on my priority list of things our military should do. That said, it worked out reasonably well and I won't complain about pushing responsibilities on to the Europeans. So I won't complain about the mission itself.
Yet for all the talk of protecting others, I would like to put priority on protecting America and our allies from common enemies.
Like North Korea for example:
North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters, which will draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch if it goes ahead.
The isolated and impoverished state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States when it launched the long-range rocket on April 13 and was censured by the U.N. Security Council, including the North's sole major ally, China.
Why North Korea hadn't sacrificed the chance of closer ties with us because they are North Korea is beyond me. Thank goodness that we can at least be hit across the back of the head with the reality stick.
But as we look out at a world with North Korea going nuclear and Iran not far behind, could someone in the Obama camp articulate a Responsibility to Protect America (R2PA) doctrine?
Just a thought. However unlikely that is.
