Goodbye to American Leadership

President Obama has announced a new phase in the war on terror: Unmanned drones will still be active but severely restricted; Guantanamo will be closed. Barack Obama wants America to play defense.

Anyone needing proof that the world needs great speakers will find it embodied in the persona of Barack Obama. The U.S. president — and this is certain — will go down in history as the most rhetorically gifted politician of the modern age.

The speech is his element; that’s why we remember his speeches. But can words change the world?

In that light, his campaign slogan, “Change — yes we can,” takes on an entirely new perspective; the reverse side of it is: “We can’t anymore.” Obama had already embraced the new slogan as early as his first term, when he reversed George W. Bush’s policies in the war on terror that began after 9/11.

Obama announced the drawdown of U.S. combat troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama didn’t celebrate the capture and dramatic death of Osama bin Laden as a victory. He seemed to find it almost embarrassing, as he did his deployment of unmanned drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a policy from which he is now beginning to distance himself. He even wants to close Guantanamo, America’s offshore cold storage facility for those Islamists considered to be high level threats.

The Speech of Someone Playing Defense

Is Obama hard or soft? Are his actions predicated on American history? Up to now, he has not been successful in markedly reforming U.S. policies; thus he will try to use historical speeches in his second term to more clearly define himself and to hone his legacy as America’s first black president.

His latest foreign policy speeches also show a decidedly defensive bent. The president of “Superpower America,” whose language has always been characterized by hard charging optimism and clarity, now says that America must be more disciplined. The war on terror cannot continue indefinitely, and the limitless use of military force must be reined in. Should the president of a superpower say that openly, or should he just quietly keep it in mind?

A lot has been written by prominent intellectuals recently about the decline of America, the rise and fall of empires and the weakness of the West. Obama adds a new voice to this chorus, one of self-restraint, reflection, meditation and hesitation.

It’s a strange catharsis where near-penitence is more important than everything else. His circle calls it “evolution,” but it is denial: America no longer wants to lead. It is giving in to a multi-polar world and wants to be something other than the exceptional and unique place it has always been.

It’s a daring step: A young politician who has grown gray-haired in office is now bequeathing to his nation and everyone else his surrender to a complex world. Along with that, he also leaves weaknesses with which his successor will have to come to grips. There may be no going back. And meanwhile, the world’s despots are rejoicing.