Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Adviser Harlan Ullman writes for UPI on the importance of looking at events in Ukraine and other places through a historical lens:
President Barack Obama has come under increasing criticism for being weak, vacillating in the use of American power.The infamous “red line” drawn over Bashir al Assad’s use of chemical weapons, along with allegations of failing to act more decisively in Syria and Ukraine and the infamous and seemingly toothless “pivot to Asia” are exhibits a, b and c in these allegations. Allies and partners around the world are described as alarmed over the seeming absence of U.S. leadership along with a rapid decline in the authority of and respect for America.
But wait — have we not been here before? Pick a year. 1968 is a good choice. In late January, North Korea hijacked the USS Pueblo on the open seas, the first time a U.S. Navy ship was captured since the war of 1812. One week later, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive. Despite the destruction of the invading force, television icon Walter Cronkite would declare the war all but lost.