Obama made allies doubt US commitment, expert says

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27 By Jamila Jafarova – Trend: When a US president looses credibility in domestic American politics, it automatically restores every four or eight years when a new president enters the White House, but credibility lost on the world stage can take decades to rebuild, Michael Rubin, the former Pentagon advisor on Middle East, and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told Trend. “Unfortunately, Obama’s lackadaisical attitude toward Russia has emboldened Putin and caused American allies in the Baltic, Poland, and Azerbaijan to doubt the US commitment,” he said. “One of the top priorities of the next president will be to restore that credibility and prove to consistent American allies like Azerbaijan that we have their back in the face of Russian bullying or aggression by Russian proxies like Armenia,” Rubin added. Recently, there has been a growth in the number of fictitious articles, which contradict to the notion of partnership and simple ethical norms, in Western media, particularly the Washington Post, which is considered an official body of the Department of State. Funded from the US budget, organizations like Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, etc. are used as tools of pressure against Azerbaijan. Not only the US media and organizations, but also some civil society institutions and media outlets in Europe are encouraged to a real crusade against Azerbaijan. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency