カダフィ殺害がリビア市民を守る道―ジョン・ボルトン(大統領候補) |
9月初めまでに、自ら2012年米大統領選に出馬するかどうか決める、としているジョン・ボルトン元国連大使が、オバマ政権および米議会の、対リビア政策のブレを厳しく批判している。
ニュース・サイト『デイリー・ビースト』に載った論文(下に原文抜粋)から、一節のみ訳しておく。
何か月もぐらついた後、NATOは今や明確にカダフィを標的にしている。しかしオバマはそう述べることを躊躇している。残忍な独裁者を殺すことが、まさにリビア市民を守る道であるにも拘わらず。
なお、『デイリー・ビースト』は、私が日頃重宝しているニュース・サイトの一つである。
THE DAILY BEAST
How Obama Bungled The War In
June 27, 2011 3:18 PM EDT
……the growing problems in
Last week, when asked to support
If we consider what to do next, the answer seems to be not much. The House’s contradictory signals left our allies in dismay, and seemed to encourage Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan strongman, to continue to hold out. The end result could be negotiations, followed by a stalemate or the country’s partition, and the eventual empowerment of Islamist elements within the Libyan opposition.
With the prospects for Congressional action now remote, what we need is leadership from our president, but Obama has little credibility. Critics have savaged him for his military intervention—from his basic rationale and laughable interpretation of the War Powers Act, to the constraints he imposed on our military and his refusal to directly target Gaddafi.
These criticisms are essentially correct. Obama’s rationale for intervening--protecting Libyan civilians--tugs at the heart strings, but conveys no strategic
Of course, there is a strategic interest in toppling Gaddafi, as the Libyan leader has threatened to re-engage in international terrorism and resume his quest for nuclear weapons. But Obama missed it. After months of dithering, NATO is now clearly targeting Gaddafi, yet Obama is unwilling to say so, even though killing the brutish dictator is precisely the way to protect Libyan civilians. Instead, Obama seems more interested in pursuing an ideological abstraction, the gauzy “responsibility to protect” doctrine, rather than concrete
From the beginning, Obama erred initially in his failure to get congressional authorization for the use of force. ……
Getting Congress onboard is not constitutionally required, but it would have been politically prudent. When things get rough, as they have, it’s always good to have an insurance policy. Inexplicably, Obama didn’t, as his political instincts seemed to vanish. Even worse, before the House voted last week, the White House did precious little lobbying to salvage its position.
Adding insult to injury, Obama tried to address the War Powers Act by twisting words beyond comprehension. Arguing that the
Operationally, Obama also erred by imposing self-defeating constraints on the
……And while the Libyan opposition undoubtedly contains more desirable alternatives to Gaddafi, opposition leaders admit there is a substantial terrorist presence within their ranks, and our blunders have increased the possibility that Islamic extremists will take over.……
最近の趣味は、と問われればサイクリングと答えることにしている(誰も聞かないので、まだ答えたことはないが)。谷垣氏と、この点だけは一致する。自宅から勤務校まで片道50分。最初は長いと感じたが、今はちょうどよい。ところどころ道路上に距離表示がある(今年になって描かれた)。やや上方の白いマークは、サイクリング・ロードを示す自転車の絵。
ちょうど正面に見えるのが福井県立大学(高い建物の右)。サイクリング・ロードは大学近くを通ってさらに続く。変速機なしの買い物用自転車で往復していた同じ宿舎の副学長が、今春、21段変速の上級機種を買い、驚いていると(私のは3段変速)、言語哲学専攻の同僚はさらに高度のプロ・モデル(給料1カ月分を越える)を持っていて、ある時私を軽く追い抜いていった。どこが特に違うのかと聞くと、「とにかくフレームが軽い」とのことだった。