Fear vs Respect

It is a question that can be pertained to many areas and involve various levels of individuals. The question of whether it is better to be feared or respected as been brought up more times than I can imagine. The most common reference to the phrase usually comes up when referring to world politics and dealing with issues and leaders outside the realm of the United States.

Earlier today, I was watching CNN and came across the question asked on their website. Jack Cafferty is usual contributor to the network most often during the Monday-Friday three hour Situation Room hosted by Wolf Blitzer. Cafferty has his Cafferty File report roughly hourly on the show and has his blog on the network's website. He addresses complex questions and topics each day. They are questions worth asking and are asked to generate a variety of opinions. Today, Cafferty posed the question of if it is more important for the U.S. president to be liked or feared outside the country. This is usually a hotbed for conversation as we had a Republican president in George W. Bush for 8 years and now have had a Democrat president in Barack Obama for less than a year. The two and their administrations have had different outlooks on dealing with international politics and issues. Topics similar to this question came up during the 2008 as President Obama and Senator John McCain disagreed on how to handle different situations and monitoring issues.

This question is also fitting since this week, President Obama will be addressing a global summit at the United Nations as well as going to the G-20 in Pittsburgh. From stories and the words of world leaders, many view President Obama much more favorably than his predecessor. However, President Obama needs to be firm when addressing issues like climate change, the global economy, and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East with war and disagreements. Through favorable ratings for President Obama; the United States then is in a favorable light in much of the world. These opinions echo the numbers that were seen around 2000 (before Bush took office). President Obama has gone to Denmark, Germany, France, China, and Russia among other countries to address the people there. He has spoken to young adults and spent time with world leaders conversing on the pressing issues of today.

It is hard to say how much has truly changed. North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia, and China still present challenges to the United States as well as the global community. As much as I would like to say that being popular automatically equals change, I cannot believe that nor can any sensible individual. There might be more conversation and a bit more favorably, but that doesn't mean that certain leaders will whole completely agree with our foreign policy decisions. The biggest complaint by critics of the President and his administration is that they are making us weaker by trying to "play nice" with countries who don't deserve to be treated rationally. Terrorism is still a threat and many who oppose the political decisions of President Obama usually try to highlight that. They embrace the aspect of America being feared instead of being respected or liked.

I will admit that at times President Obama has seemed like candidate Obama in terms of saying and doing things that are safe. He has made some choices that have him come off as trying to be liked. I cannot blame him at times. I usually like to please everyone, but that is tough for a president to do. Personally, I didn't always agree with a lot of the decisions of the past administration. They chose the side of being feared over liked and looked to do whatever was necessary. I also believe that if 9/11 didn't happen, the past administration might have had a different approach to dealing with international relations. However, 9/11 did happen and terrorism and nuclear threats are very real. At the same, I support the approach that President Obama has embarked on even before he was elected. America under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman was a major world power. They were on the winning side of quite possibly the biggest war in our history. They were friends with Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. All of which were a major force in the world leading up to the war. When the Cold War started, the Soviet Union became an enemy. Through the efforts of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush they were finally able to end the Cold War and bring the Soviet Union (now known as Russia) back to being on our side.

That little example goes to show that it really isn't a liberal/Democratic thing or a conservative/Republican thing, but more about America. Granted, you might thing you are getting more done when you are feared. But in actuality, you often lose many friends, who often times don't really respect you, but stray away from you. Some might think that is good because it sends a message to countries like Iran or North Korea. However, at the same time, it causes countries like Russia and Germany, who could be allies in our fight against terrorism and the wrongs of the world, to also stray away. President Obama has apologized more than once to countries for actions taken by the past administration. This is to some degree right, but also needs to be monitored as we don't want to look like we are weak and possibly lose a bit of footing to the point where a country or countries try to take advantage of the United States. Thus, I believe that we as a country as well as President Obama should work to accomplish being liked and respected in order to accomplish goals and objectives while still knowing when to draw the line. FDR and Harry Truman utilized that perspective in the famous world conferences in Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam during World War II. They were able to negotiate and agree on objectives that favored the United States and were favorable to Great Britain and the Soviet Union without us getting the short stick.

Fear or respect? That question will be asked several more times; during the Obama administration alone. When we are on the same page and have an avenue to talk with other countries, we as well as them can accomplish goals that go way beyond the borders of the United States. We won't change many of the "evil" leaders of the world, but if we take the right approaches we might chip away at some of their objectives and in the end make the world and the United States safer. Being feared is pointless if we keep giving these leaders ammunition to want to do something. Hence, respect, which leads to higher likability; as least for me; seems like the best avenue for everyone.