This article first appeared on the Council on Foreign Relations site. Two almost simultaneous events in recent days have shed even more light on the Obama administration's treatment of America's enemies.
Skipping down a few paras to the Iranian piece:
Meanwhile, half a world away, the Iranian navy is making a laughingstock of the U.S. Navy, taunting it with small-boat actions that endanger our ships, get within about 100 yards of them and have forced them to take evasive action to avoid collisions. Reuters reported:
A U.S. Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after a fast-attack craft from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 100 yards (91 meters) of it in the central Gulf on Sunday, U.S. Defense Department officials said on Tuesday. It was at least the fourth such incident in less than a month. U.S. officials are concerned that these actions by Iran could lead to mistakes.
One U.S. Navy official said, “This type of incident would have led NAVCENT to recommend that the State Department deliver a diplomatic message of protest if this interaction had been with a country with which the United States had an official diplomatic relationship.” Wrong: The time for a “diplomatic message of protest” is long gone.
Well, Zambia appears to be doing fine without a navy.