Commentary: Obama needs to be more sincere in acknowledging "worst mistake"

U.S. President Barack Obama has finally admitted his "worst mistake" during his presidency was made in the Libya military assault. His courage is admirable; however, his manner needs to be more sincere.

In a Fox News interview on Sunday, asked to name the "worst mistake" of his presidency, Obama said "probably failing to plan for the day after what I think was the right thing to do in intervening in Libya."

One day after the interview, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said "The right decision was made at the beginning to prevent significant loss of life," referring to the seven-month military assault.

First of all, it is obvious that the president has a completely wrong view of military force, which has caused, in Libya's case, a large number of casualties, a collapsed economy, political chaos in the country and a spillover effect in the region.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was awarded in 2009 for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people," should know better when it comes to the consequences of war and the preciousness of peace.

It is widely recognized that conflicts can only be solved through peaceful political and diplomatic means, which has been verified once and again in history with the settlement of the Iran nuclear issue as the latest example, while the Iraqi mess proved again that force is not the answer.

Secondly, the president's words revealed a neo-interventionism and hegemonism deeply rooted in the United States, which, as the world's biggest power, will do what it thinks right even at the expense of other countries' sovereignty, dignity and national destiny.

Analysts say the crux of the long-running crisis in Syria is foreign interference, which has made the situation in the country unusually complicated and stripped the Syrians of the right to decide their own fate.

Thirdly, the United States should not shirk its responsibility in the current "mess" in Libya and pass the buck to its European allies and the international community.

In an interview published in The Atlantic magazine last month, Obama said Libya has become a "mess." "When I go back and I ask myself what went wrong, there's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up," Obama said.

Ironically, it is the Europeans who are suffering from the rampant terrorist attacks and facing a culminating refugee crisis.

Earnest, the White House spokesman, even blamed the international community for not succeeding "in following through with a plan to compensate for the vacuum that was left behind" in Libya.

Great leadership involves three things: the ability to realize when you are wrong, a willingness to learn from it, and an eagerness to change course if necessary. The world is watching and waiting for Obama to show great leadership when it comes to helping resolve the crisis in Libya. Endi