Behind Barack Obama’s delusions of global respect

By Post Editorial Board

June 6, 2015 | 8:30pm

Photo: AP

At a town-hall meeting last week, President Obama proudly bragged that “today, once again, the United States is the most respected country on earth.”

That jaw-dropper makes sense to him— because the only opinion that counts for the president is the opinion of folks who share his ideology: above all, the belief that America should never use its power unless “world opinion” (i.e., pretty much those same folks) agrees.

So it doesn’t matter that Vladimir Putin laughs at Obama’s America — continuing his invasion of Ukraine with just enough “deniability” that Obama can pretend it’s something else.

Or that China knows it can continue its grab of key sea areas, even building vast artificial islands on which to plant its flag (and weapons), because Obama will never risk confrontation.

Or that both Moscow and Beijing continue to give their hackers free rein to attack US targets — confident that Obama will overlook anything as ethereal as cyberspace.

Or that Bashar al-Assad is back to using chemical weapons, because Obama has already proved he lacks the will to enforce his own “red line.”

(Bonus disrespect: The Syrian butcher is also helping ISIS slaughter rival anti-Assad
forces because he figures “world opinion” will support his own odious regime once ISIS is the only other choice.)

Do Poland or the Czech Republic respect Obama after he pulled US anti-missile bases out of their territory as part of his pathetic “reset button” bid to win Putin’s love? Or, eyes on Ukraine, do they worry how else Obama’s America will fail them?

Time and again, Obama told Israelis he has their back. He promised all options were on the table to stop Iran from getting the bomb. Now he says military action is off the table — and his planned nuclear deal, by his own account, leaves Tehran set to build nukes within a dozen years.

The Saudis and other Arab rulers feel just as abandoned: That’s why most of them declined to even show for Obama’s “Arab summit” last month.

As for Iran: It’s already breaking the “interim” nuclear deal by building enriched-uranium stockpiles far larger than it promised to hold as of June 30. The mullahs plainly figure he won’t call them on it — nor on any “deniable” violations of whatever accord he winds up with.

Iraq? In the same town-hall remarks, Obama talks of how “we were able to end two wars” — when his predecessor had (finally) brought peace to Iraq before Obama took office and promptly abandoned the country first to the baleful influence of Iran and then to invasion by ISIS.

Anyone think ISIS respects America? The terrorist “Islamic State” has only grown in the months since Obama promised to “degrade and ultimately destroy” it.

The president surely thinks he’s gained respect for America in Europe, where progressive opinion rules so many roosts. We strongly doubt, though, that any of the continent’s elected leaders is anything but privately appalled at Washington’s conduct these days.

The game over there for decades has been to bash Uncle Sam except when you need to call him in for help. Far from feeling respect, they’re worried that Obama’s America won’t answer the call.