The US-Israel relationship is built upon a firm foundation

Nachman Shai, jpost.com

Image from, with caption: President Obama at the Western Wall.

Excerpt:

Not many people recall that Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than a year after taking office.

The prize committee realized at some point the absurdity of their choice, and so they wrote in the description that they were expecting great things from Obama, such as, “making efforts to strengthen diplomacy and international cooperation.” Obama was an unusual choice, since the Nobel Prize is usually awarded to people for things they’ve already accomplished, rather than the possibility of something occurring in the future.

Perhaps this reflected the high hopes everyone had for Obama, after he managed to break through every barrier on his way to the White House.

Obama is a big advocate of diplomacy. He succeeded a republican president who often used massive force. Obama, on the other hand, chose to take the path of diplomacy that is based on the passive use of force. He supports engaging in public diplomacy, in dialogue between different nations, and of course in settling disputes in peaceful ways.

As a result, it was sad to watch the president make every effort to convince his constituents that the US is still the strongest superpower in the world. ...

Obama will most likely be remembered for his hesitation to use force in the international arena. It’s no wonder that America’s enemies took advantage of this weakness and filled the void he left. ...