text: Barack Obama is the anti-Reagan of US global leadership: the president lacks true grit in the face of America's enemies – Telegraph Blogs
  Barack Obama is the anti-Reagan of US global leadership: the president lacks true grit in the face of America's enemies	By Nile Gardiner
  With Barack Obama there appears to be no great moral cause which drives his foreign policy, no overarching strategy for enhancing American global power, no concept of a global war against Islamist militants, and no desire to strengthen America's defences. In fact Obama's approach to international affairs is the exact opposite of Reagan's. It is based upon a naïve belief that America's enemies can be won over through "engagement" rather than confronted with maximum strength, and that US security can be advanced by making major concessions. Obama's extending the hand of friendship to Iran, and his drive to sign a New START Treaty with Moscow which gives the Russians a say over America's missile defence plans are perfect examples.
  Ultimately, Ronald Reagan possessed true grit as president of the United States, and displayed the kind of forceful, principled leadership that Barack Obama can only dream of. Under Reagan, the United States was revered by its allies, feared by its enemies, and looked upon with awe by hundreds of millions who lived under the boot of tyranny in Eastern Europe. The Gipper rescued America from post-Vietnam decline and restored its pride on the world stage. In contrast, the Obama presidency is fostering US weakness in the face of its enemies, and giving every impression of presiding over a superpower in decline, without direction, self-belief or clear sense of purpose.
  Tags: Barack Obama, George W Bush, New START Treaty, richard holbrooke, Ronald Reagan, US foreign policy, US politics