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The Will To Lead by Anders Fogh Rasmussen details why America has an
indispensable role in the global fight for freedom. Having
served as Denmark's Prime Minister and Secretary-General of
NATO he knows the importance of having a US President that
leads from the front and not from behind.
The book starts off with an impassioned plea to Americans
that someone needs to be elected in the spirit of Harry Truman,
John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. He speaks of how "President
Truman showed strong leadership and effective conduct by establishing
the world order that for nearly seven decades secured an unprecedented
peace, development, and wealth. President Kennedy came to
stand as a beacon for the free world with his energetic and
eloquent communication. And President Reagan led the United
States and the world to victory and freedom over Communism
and oppression by his firm conviction of American exceptionalism."
Critical of President Obama, he sees the need for a strong
President who is not afraid to restore order. The downsizing
in Europe, the Iraq withdrawal, and the hesitation in Syria
are just a few examples cited to show President Obama's inability
to stand up to his adversaries. He concludes, "the US
must be everywhere to make sure they can uphold the world
created after the Second World War."
This includes President Obama's decision to pull the troops
out of Iraq in 2011. Rasmussen emphatically believes before
the US troop pullout "it was relatively quiet and stable.
Then the US left Iraq and its Prime Minister, Maliki, marginalized
the Sunni community, which allowed for ISIS infiltration.
As I said in the book, 'Communication should not just be words,
but should be backed up with decisive actions and visible
leadership.' We need to understand democracies must be defined
as not just organizing elections and having majority votes,
otherwise we end up with another dictator under the guise
of a democracy. There must be protection of minorities, the
rule of law, and human rights."
Rasmussen noted that President Obama's strategy has emboldened
Russia, making the world more dangerous and unstable. "Russia
is now threatening her neighbors in Europe, primarily the
Ukraine and Georgia. The political and strategic goal of Russia,
part of President Putin's ambition, is to restore Russian
greatness. He feels he could get away with these attacks because
American has reduced its presence and interests in Europe.
President Obama has sent a very dangerous signal to the autocrats
and terrorists in the world. Basically Putin exploited how
people can get away with terrible acts without any consequences."
The book has a poll that states the majority of Europeans
are against the use of military force to defend an ally, a
direct contradiction to the very foundation of NATO. When
asked about it, he commented, "I disagree that NATO is
obsolete as Mr. Trump has said. On the contrary, NATO is just
as important as it was during the Cold War. It is more important
than ever thanks to President Putin's aggression. People must
realize the security environment and Europe has drastically
changed. We must adapt to this threat. I do agree that the
Europeans should invest more in defense and our common security.
All twenty-eight NATO allies pledged to invest at least 2%
in defense. Today only five live up to that, but this year
Europeans will invest much more than last year, and hopefully
within a decade they will reach this benchmark."
The theme of the book, The Will To Lead, has America
once again becoming the world's policeman. He concludes that
starting from WWII up until President Obama, US presidents
were committed to internationalism. He hopes that whoever
becomes America's next president, "they will have a bi-partisan
approach to foreign policy, and serve America's self interest
by leading and not retreating from world affairs."
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