America is regrettably reaping the bitter fruit from the seeds of appeasement Obama has sown over the past year. Since taking office, Obama has made it his mission to apologize to our enemies and ignore our allies. He is the anti-Reagan, rejecting the notion of peace through strength. Rather than projecting confidence, he’s signaled weakness and put us in danger. Thugs and tyrants the world over sense that Obama is soft.

For example, Iran has executed several leaders of the pro-democracy movement and sentenced more to death in recent days with barely a peep of protest from the administration. In response to Obama’s conciliatory efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program, Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, promised a “punch” that would leave Western nations “stunned.” And Iranian “president” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that the Islamic regime is enriching more uranium and expanding its military facilities.

Just as serious was a statement from senior Chinese military leaders this week. Responding to U.S. arms sales to our ally Taiwan, Major General Luo Yuan said, “Our retaliation should not be restricted to merely military matters, and we should adopt a strategic package of counter-punches…” Yuan added that China could “attack by oblique means and stealthy feints. For example, we could sanction them using economic means, such as dumping some U.S. government bonds.”

China currently holds nearly $800 billion in U.S. bonds, and it is financing Obama’s astonishing spending spree. Now China is threatening an economic Pearl Harbor. Whether it’s Arab oil or Chinese credit, under Barack Obama America is becoming more dependent on our enemies, and no superpower will long survive in such a weak position.