The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine gave the United States self-proclaimed rights to intervene in European affairs as an international police state if it saw a need to. For the last few decades this intervention has been justified on the grounds of humanitarian aid, war assistance, policy and arms control, and economic sustainability. The current Obama administration, however, seems to be using the historical ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’ phrase in a new sense.

Instead of nations seeing a general increase in U.S. policing to foreign nations, they are seeing a self-policing that hasn’t happened for quite some time. This style of diplomacy and self-checking has occurred on some level for many years, but it is now seen as a must in the ever-growing and globalizing world community. The recent nuclear summit is a testament to the necessity of a nation to reflect upon its own policies before requiring a change from others.

Days before the nuclear summit, the Obama administration issued the Nuclear Posture Review. The review, published on April 6, was a change in policy, which in essence reduces the role of nuclear weaponry. U.S. strategy, post-review, calls for a use of nuclear weaponry in ‘extreme circumstances’ only. The review eliminates the construction of new U.S. nuclear warheads, an element that helped in the recent arms treaty with Russia.

At the Nuclear Summit, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev believed the cooperation between himself and Obama made the nuclear summit a complete success, even though others may disagree. The presidents signed a new ‘START’ arms control agreement that ‘will verifiably limit strategic nuclear warheads by roughly 30 percent below current levels and will set lower limits on strategic nuclear delivery vehicles.’

The self-policing and cooperation on nuclear policy illustrates the growing need for major nations to work together in these changing times. Obama perceived this at the summit and saw an excellent moment to make his case for harsher sanctions on Iran. This probably wasn’t the best place to bring it up, but any publicity is good publicity when it comes to trying to get nations to buy into harsher sanctions on a country.

Aside from what seems to be all talk, the Obama administration is making an influential step in controlling and possibly ridding the world of nuclear weapons. He is realizing that the United States must regulate its own policies on nuclear armaments before it can expect other nations to do the same. If Obama wants to maintain his Nobel Peace Prize aura, he must continue his cooperative path and understand the United States is not exempt of policing from other nations. He must also discontinue orating and begin acting against Iran. While he is trying to take a multilateral step in getting the country to discontinue its nuclear program, he is coming off as weak to many conservatives and, surprisingly, to some liberals.

Countries across the world are looking for a change, and they expect Obama to deliver with a strong hand and an open ear. We are no longer speaking softly while carrying a big a stick, but listening carefully and acting appropriately.

John Sumpter is a junior international relations and Middle Eastern studies major. His column appears weekly and he can be reached at

jfsumpte@syr.edu

Published on April 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm