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Around the world America is taking a beating. The US. stands by helplessly- fearful of "other
Vietnams" - while free-world interests crumble in the Middle East and elsewhere. How long will
it
be befare Washington's allies are forced to make other arrangements to protect themselves?
here's a growing view that
merica is an international
tsy," complains Tennessee
enator Howard Baker. Bak–
er 's comment cannot be dismissed as
mere 1980 presidential campaign
rhetoric-although Republican
hopefuls are attempting to capitalize
on President Jimmy Carter's string
of recent foreign policy setbacks.
Another G.O.P. contender, John
Connally of Texas, is equally critica!.
He proclaims that "we seem to bave
lost our zest for strong leadership–
we have to recapture our pride and
self-respect before others can feel it
for us."
Allies Mystified
America 's allies and trade partners
around the world are mystified as to
why the United States no longer is
the active, assertive and purposeful
leader of the free world. lnstead,
Washington gives the impression to
friend and foe alike that it is, in the
words of the
Wa/1 Street Journal ,
a
"pushover," and that it appears to be,
to quote
Time
magaz ine, a "baftled,
dismayed, uncertain spectator" on
the world scene.
America's overall public relations
image is so low that even the recently
signed peace treaty between Israel
4
by
Gene H. Hogberg
and Egypt is unlikely to have a last–
ing beneficia! effect.
Europeans especially are con–
cerned about America's fall from
power. Editorializes the París daily
Le Figaro:
"U.S. influence has
shrunk in all directions. It has lost
Angola, Ethiopia, Somalia, South
Yemen, Afghanistan, Laos, Cam–
bodia and most recently a kingpin in
lran, guardia n of the Gulf's
oil ... the Yankee umbrella has
more and more holes in it. The free
world now asks itself the question:
Must it still count on Americans?"
The deepening concern in Europe
only confirms what American colum–
nists Roland Evans and Robert Nov–
ak label "stark new evidence of
America's decline and the fears it has
unleashed among U.S. allies."
Through failure to project clear
intentions and follow through on an–
nounced policy--often backing away
from one "firm stand " after anoth–
er-the current Administration in
Washington has reaffirmed the
image of the "pitiful, helpless giant ,"
a pbrase coined by Richard Nixon
following the closing sad scene in
Vietnam: the U.S. ambassador being
lifted by helicopter from the roof of
the U.S. embassy, the American flag
tucked under one arm, barely eluding
the clutches of pro-U.S. Vietnamese
who desperately wanted to be air–
lifted from certain death.
America's Most Humiliating Week
During the week of February 11-17,
1979, the United States suffered one
of its most shattering series of foreign
prestige blows ever- most of them
occurring during a single 24-hour
period.
First of all, the U.S. ambassador in
Afghanistan was kidnapped, then
slain in the presence of Soviet advis–
ers. Next, in fran, U.S. Marines were
ordered to surrender rather than re–
sist kidnappers who captured the am–
bassador and embassy staff.
Immediately after the U .S.
showed it lacked the power, and most
of all the will , to protect its embassies
abroad, President Carter paid an of–
ficial visit to Mexico where he was
treated toa public tongue-lashing by
President López Portillo. All the
President could muster in response
was a self-demeaning joke about
"Montezuma's revenge. "
The timing of the Mexico City in–
cident was doubly embarrassing, as
columnists Evans and Novak re–
ported: "Turning the other cheek to
the Mexican president's insult on the
same day that the U.S. ambassador
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1979