Sometimes an Army of One Gets More Done

By Rob Asghar

The great Victorian rivalry between British politicians William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli is the textbook example of the distinction between a leader who can merely impress and one who can genuinely inspire.

According to popular legend, when you left dinner with Gladstone, you came away convinced that Gladstone was the wittiest and most charming person around. But after dining with Disraeli, you came away convinced that you were the wittiest and most charming person around.

America under Ronald Reagan, the previous "Army of One," was like Gladstone. America under Barack Obama is more like Disraeli, using the president's personal charisma to help others shine and thereby nurturing trust and building alliances worldwide.

Obama's many detractors note that there are limitations to what an Army of One can accomplish. But sometimes an engaging, focused leader can accomplish much more than an army of many, as we've found in both the Soviet and American adventures in Afghanistan. The U.S. military was sent to Iraq ostensibly to prove America's commitment to working with the Muslim world. But Obama, working alone, has been more effective thus far.

As philosopher Eric Hoffer noted, not every mass movement has a god, but every mass movement has a devil. America and Israel have served together as that devil for the noisy Middle Eastern and South Asian sections of the Islamic world in recent decades. Obama's Disraelian approach is now severing the binding cords of hatred there.

Suddenly, Hezbollah has been weakened in Lebanon. Suddenly Mir Hossein Mousavi has surged to hero status in Iran, as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finds himself being held accountable by voters for his governance, not for his once energizing demagoguery. At long last, civilian groups have begun rising up to publicly resist the Taliban and other religious militants in Pakistan.

Each of these developments can be traced back in part to local factors. But each also bears the stamp of Obama, who has single-handedly changed the conversation in the Muslim world.

True and lasting change will, of course, require patience and persistence. Nonetheless, Obama has emerged as a formidable army for any rival to face on the global stage in the coming years. Pity the demagogues and petty tyrants who will stand in his way.

Rob Asghar is a fellow at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy, member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and columnist for the Huffington Post.