US News

Obama goes on defensive over foreign policy in West Point address

President Obama defended his much-maligned foreign policy at West Point’s graduation Wednesday — insisting that military action should take a back seat to diplomacy unless the United States is ­directly threatened.

“America must always lead on the world stage. But US military action cannot be the only — or even primary — component of our leadership in every instance,” Obama told the 1,064 graduating cadets to polite applause.

“Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.”

The president repeatedly stressed diplomacy over force — an approach derided as “speak loudly but carry a small stick” by one defense expert.

“I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being,” declared Obama — who then used the words “partner,” “partners” and “partnership,” 17 times in his speech.

Recalling his address to West Point grads in 2009, Obama said he remained anguished by the deaths of four killed in Afghanistan.

“I would betray my duty to you, and to the country we love, if I sent you into harm’s way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed fixing, or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak,” Obama said during the ceremony at Michie Stadium on a chilly, gray morning.

He struck back at critics who charge that American ­timidity has emboldened rogue leaders and terrorists in hot spots such as Syria, Ukraine and Nigeria.

“America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise — who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away — are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics,” he insisted.

But he also acknowledged that real threats exist that would warrant US military action.

“The United States will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it — when our people are threatened, when our livelihoods are at stake, when the security of our allies is in danger,” he said.

The president said al  Qaeda’s leadership had been decimated, but that smaller terrorist groups sharing its murderous ideology remain the most direct threat to the United States at home and abroad.

“But a strategy that involves invading every country that harbors terrorist networks is naïve and unsustainable,” he said.

Instead, he proposed a $5  billion “partnership fund” that he will present to Congress to help countries fight terrorism on their own soil.

Republicans and other critics were skeptical of the president’s emphasis on words over action.

“Even a president with rhetorical gifts cannot finesse his way out of military weakness or a loss of credibility in the world,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican.

“All in all, his speech reflected an inverse of Teddy Roosevelt’s dictum, speak loudly but carry a small stick,” added Steve Emerson, of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, a Washington, DC, think tank.