Appraising the foreign policy legacy of the Obama presidency

Abstract

This chapter assesses Obama’s national security strategy and his overall management of foreign policy. In the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama indicated clear policy differences with his predecessor, George W. Bush, such as opposing the Iraq War and the USA PATRIOT Act. As president, Obama broke with Bush’s unilateral approach to foreign policy and pursued a multilateral strategy. Obama emphasized diplomacy and appointed two former Democratic senators (Hillary Clinton and John Kerry) as Secretary of State. The chapter examines Obama’s military policies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, focusing on differences between Obama’s promises and actual policy decisions. Obama’s foreign policy achievements included signing the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. His establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba was one of the most dramatic changes in U.S. policy toward Latin America. But Obama also had foreign policy disappointments. For example, he pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center but was unsuccessful, due to largely (though not exclusively) partisan congressional opposition.