May 29, 2014

The Age of Post-Interventionism

Hard though it is to believe, less than halfway into his second term, Barack Obama is being forced to defend the foreign policy that was a key to his elevation to the White House: his turn away from the application of hard, military power, towards “softer” and “smarter” ways of winning friends and influencing people. 

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

The Obama Doctrine, as outlined by the President at the commencement ceremony at West Point, can be summarized as limiting the use of American power to defending the nation's core interests and being smart enough to avoid the... more ››

It is commonly observed that President Obama never started governing because he never stopped campaigning.  He campaigned in his West Point speech all right -- for United Nations secretary-general.  more ››

President Obama's measured defense of his foreign policy at West Point on Wednesday made many cogent points to rebut critics.  Unfortunately, the speech also showed that he hasn't digested some of the crucial lessons of his... more ››

It's rare when a commencement speaker tells graduates he's doing his best to diminish their career opportunities.  Yet to a military stretched thin by a decade at war, President Barack Obama's message at West Point's graduation... more ››

The absence of an Iraq-scale fiasco is not identical to success, and history shouldn’t grade this president on a curve set by Donald Rumsfeld.  Obama is responsible for the initiatives he’s pursued, the strategies... more ››