President Obama speaks in Prague, 2009 (Jason Reed/Reuters)
People forget that the issue that propelled Barack Obama to power was not health care, the economy, the auto industry or the financial system. None of the major things he's had to tackle since becoming president were actually on Obama's to-do list as a legislator or law professor. Actually, the second Iraq War can arguably be posited as the sole issue that drove Barack Obama's meteoric rise to the presidency. However, this was not because Obama was merely swept up in the tide of times. Foreign policy has been at the center of his political interests for the entirety of his adult life.
In 2002, Barack Obama was a little known state senator who, by nature of the job, hadn't any need to deal with any questions related to international affairs. Despite this fact, Obama stood outside the Federal Courthouse in Chicago and famously proclaimed that he wasn't opposed to all wars, but was opposed to a dumb war. While many Democrats in Washington were happily going along with the Bush administration's plans for war in Iraq, Obama's defiant stance stood in stark contrast to the establishment in Washington. The press began to take notice. He successfully rode his newly found celebrity all the way to the United States Senate. Upon arrival, Obama chose the committee where he would seek to make his mark: Foreign Relations.
Lugar, Obama in Russia, 2005 (Staff/Reuters)
He poured himself forcefully into the job, making a significant and
buzz-generating trip with Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. Richard Lugar to Russia for the purpose of securing nuclear weapons. The first piece of
enacted legislation to his credit was a bill related to promoting democracy in the Congo. When Democrats gained the majority, he became chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs. In that capacity, he made official visits to Eastern Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and the Middle East.
When Obama's presidential campaign began, many may forget that the question of the Iraq War was the primary distinguishing factor separating him from his competitors. By 2007-2008, popular opinion had turned solidly against the war and Obama's campaign for president was the primary beneficiary. His promise to responsibly end the war had credibility. He often reminded voters of his initial opposition on the campaign trail. Furthermore, he gave a series of notable foreign policy speeches during the campaign. Most notable was his forceful declaration that he would use unilateral military force inside Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden should the opportunity arise. Almost everyone in the Washington establishment of both parties derided him for this stance at the time.
Obama with friends at Occidental, 1980 (O.C.)
As a child who had lived abroad for four years, he wrote that he was always interested in other cultures. In 1979, Obama arrived at Occidental College in Los Angeles where, among other things,
he studied European political thought. While there, he gave his first public speech. The subject? Demanding that Occidental divest itself from South Africa. He become a leader in the campus anti-Apartheid movement. Later he transferred to Columbia in New York where he majored in International Relations. According to one of his professors, he
aced an honors seminar called
American Foreign Relations. This seems to me a convincing enough case to posit that Barack Obama has had a deep, abiding passion for foreign affairs since the days of youth.
As president, polls have noted the public's high approval of President Obama's handling of foreign policy. He has successfully negotiated a major nuclear arms treaty with Russia. He has combated piracy in East Africa. He has, without a great deal of fanfare, extracted U.S. combat forces from Iraq. He brought about regime change in Libya with no loss of American servicemembers and minimal cost, much to the surprise of opponents of his Libya policy including yours truly. He has aggressively prosecuted a war against Al Qaeda. And in striking contrast to his predecessor, he has kept the country safe from a major international terrorist attack.
One can attribute a great deal of President Obama's success in foreign policy is due to the relatively free hand presidents are given in international affairs. However, foreign affairs is equally as sensitive and complicated as domestic policy. Why has President Obama shined in the former arena and had such a mixed record in the latter? The answers are complicated. But I submit that one part of that answer is that the president loves foreign policy. He is excellent at it because he has studied it for years and enjoys practicing it.
New presidents get the first two years to enact their domestic agenda and then the steam runs out. Second term presidents are noted for turning to foreign policy to make their mark on the world. As lame ducks, the country and political establishment begin to look to the next president on the future of domestic affairs. In an Obama second term, I predict that this will be true of Obama as well. Look for him to try to make his mark on an issue very dear to his heart, nuclear proliferation.
