Whoever wins the White House in 2016 had better be a friggin brainiac, because from this observer's perspective, they'll be little if any time to be brought up to speed and none at all for mistakes. And because no amount of life experience can prepare anyone to be the president of the United States like their first super-classified intelligence briefing, it's gonna take raw intellect, sound thinking and years of accumulated wisdom to match wits with the world's sharpest minds, aggressive leaders and the difficult problems they'll present.
As the U.S. continues to fight its way out of Iraq and Afghanistan, while remaining committed to toppling Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the next president will have some really tough decisions to make. Should the U.S. keep holding the Afghan government's hand by reengaging the Taliban with more force or just cut them loose and bring the remaining troops home? Should the U.S. partner with Iran's Shiite backed militias in Iraq to help battle ISIS in Fallujah and Mosul this summer or keep tip toeing around Tehran's crews with special forces operations? Should the U.S. admit the Syrian government, with Russian and Iranian support, is here to stay or keep holding out until the last drop of Syrian blood has been spilled? These are problems for smart minds to ponder.
As U.S. foreign policy priorities pivot to Asia, it's gonna take a real thinker to confront the challenges China will pose when Beijing pushes back. In response to that pivot, China is making some serious claims of territorial and maritime rights within the South China Sea. And not only is Beijing pressuring regional neighbors to accept these new realities, China has been rapidly building military posts on disputed islands, significantly boosting its presence in the already tense area. This too is a problem for a smart mind to ponder.
On April 29, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi issued a joint statement objecting to the contemplated deployment in South Korea of the U.S. Theater High Altitude Area Defense [THAAD] missile interceptor system. While the U.S. says the system is merely to provide assurances to the South against North Korea's reckless addiction to long range missile testing, Moscow and Beijing are pushing back on grounds that the system's global reach compromises their security needs. When China and Russia push back as a team, this too is a problem for a smart mind to ponder.
On Friday, Taiwan inaugurated its first woman president. By Saturday, Beijing was leaning on President-elect Tsai Ing-wen to acknowledge One China or else. China is demanding Taiwan to recognize China's One China Policy or Beijing will cut off all future talks with Taipei. And this is something the independence leaning Democratic Progressive Party leader can ill afford. Considering how much Taiwan relies on China for trade and tourism, to say nothing of how vulnerable Taipei is to the military might of China, this is another problem for only the smartest minds to ponder.
Bottom line: Like him or not, whether you agreed with Barack Obama's policies or found them to have taken the nation in the wrong direction, few would say he's not a deep thinking intellectual. Few would say he made snap decisions or jumped to conclusions. And thus, few could argue Barack Obama didn't turn out to be a really smart president. So while most political media feeds will focus on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump slamming each other for not being qualified to be president, we want to focus on who's the smartest for that job. After all, George W. Bush was deemed qualified to sit in the Oval Office, and look how that turned out. Think smart, because anything less won't solve your problems. Podcast below!
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