(X-posted on ACT NOW)
If you had to give President Obama a grade in International Affairs for these past three years, what would it be? A plus? B minus? “Incomplete”? For my part, I give him (and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, key architect of his foreign policy) an A minus, for a job well done, with room for improvement.
It’s been interesting to watch Republicans try to find fault in every foreign policy decision Obama has made, without much of a coherent theme or a credible claim of what they’d do differently.
Here are a few foreign policy accomplishments that earn the prez a pretty good grade:
- Killing Osama bin Laden. This is perhaps the most widely acknowledged accomplishment not only of Obama’s foreign policy, but of his entire presidency to date. In eliminating this bitter enemy and dealing a severe blow to Al Qaeda, Obama accomplished something that neither George W. Bush nor Bill Clinton could manage, and certainly not for lack of trying. Those who’ve tried to minimize Obama’s role in the strategy that led to bin Laden’s demise -- such as Romney with his claim that "any president" would have done it -- are disingenuous. As even prominent Republicans and his critics acknowledge, the President was closely involved in the hunt for bin Laden and deserves credit, as emphasized in a well-done recent DNC ad responding to Romney. In fact, the successful killing of the mass murderer was the direct result of Obama’s decision to do something that both Bush and John McCain indicated they wouldn't do – pursue bin Laden into Pakistan.
- Ending the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, he campaigned on a pledge to end it, and he was ultimately true to his word. Last month, the final remaining U.S. combat troops returned home from the nine-year conflict. Critics on the left say that Obama took too long too fulfill his pledge, while critics on the right say he pulled us out too precipitously, risking the potential “civil war” in Iraq long cited as the justification for the U.S. to remain. The fact is, the President ordered the full withdrawal at a time when military leaders, the American public, and the Iraqi people had a consensus that our troops must come home. While the recent increased violence in Iraq is troubling, our remaining there indefinitely was not an option.The withdrawal from Afghanistan raised different complexities. In contrast to the Iraq war, few questioned our justification for being in Afghanistan in the first place. Sadly, the Bush administration, distracted by its war of choice in Iraq, ignored the situation in Afghanistan too long while the Taliban regrouped, leaving a mess for Obama to clean up. Thus, on the advice of military leaders, in December 2009, Obama increased our troop presence there by over 30,000 -- a surge that by many accounts was successful in beating back the Taliban. Now we have committed to withdrawing all troops by the end of 2012 -- as with Iraq, there was consensus that it is time to come home.
- Responding Effectively to the Arab Spring. As I explored in a prior post, the Obama administration’s response to the popular uprisings that engulfed numerous Middle Eastern countries in 2011, particularly our role in deposing the brutal tyrant Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, has won widespread praise. Republican criticism of the response has been, by and large, disingenuous. It is concerning that the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood may wield significant power in Egypt’s emerging democracy now that Mubarak’s dictatorship is over. But as David Gregory recently pointed out in an interchange with Rick Santorum on Obama’s foreign policy, supporting democracy naturally leads to democratic elections. Time will tell, but it seems that in the broader scheme of things, we will have a better Middle East without the autocratic regimes of Gaddafi and his ilk.
- Easing Restrictions on Travel and Communication with Cuba. Fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse some of the Bush administration’s harsh policies, Obama has eased various restrictions on travel, communication, and humanitarian aid to Cuba. This had made things a little easier on separated families, and opened an important door to Cuba at a time when that nation’s future – with the aging of Fidel and Raul Castro – hangs in the balance. While the jury’s still out on the future of Cuba-U.S. relations, restoring the Clinton-era policy of encouraging “people-to-people” contact with Cuba seems like it was the right thing to do.
- Sponsoring a Responsible Military Spend-Down. After extensive discussions with top military leaders, the Obama administration recently put forth a proposal to undertake the necessary “build-down” of our country’s military in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The plan is to maintain the military's superiority while decreasing its size to a level better reflecting current security needs -- which do not require the capability to fight and win two simultaneous ground wars. While it remains to be seen whether the implementation of this build-down will proceed as planned, the administration is taking a responsible step in the right direction.
I welcome disagreement with any of my conclusions above. And I'll admit, I wish the Obama administration had done more in the last three years to combat global climate change, one of the biggest security threats to the entire world. But on the whole, Obama has not let down the committee that in 2009 awarded him the
Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
All critics, especially Republicans as they contend with Obama for the awesome responsibility of being Decider-in-Chief, need to do more than just mindlessly nitpick his approach to various foreign policy challenges. They need to explain how a President Romney, for instance, with his incoherent foreign policy approach that characteristically changes to suit his political whims, would have done it better. This the Republicans have been unable to do.
So, what kind of report card would you give the Obama administration’s foreign policy? Leave your comments below. And stay tuned for my next piece, where I'll grade the President on domestic policy...