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US Foreign Policy

Under Obama

Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt


Introduction

Barack Obama took office as president with confidence


that he could dramatically improve Americas
relationships with nations around the world. Eight
years later, his foreign policy successes have been
significant and his failures apparent.
He inherited a tough set of difficult, even unprecedented,
international challenges, including an unraveling in
the Middle East, Russian aggression, the rise of China
and North Koreas nuclear advances, among others.

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Relations with Cuba
Obama has made modest progress on global nuclear
security and climate change, with plenty more to do in
both. He has engaged with longtime adversaries Cuba
and Iran, producing positive results.
His trip to Cuba in March 2016 brought dramatic changes
in U.S. policy. It signaled the end of Americas 55-year-
long Cold War with Cuba, a development that was
punctuated last week by the death of Fidel Castro.
The visit was widely praised throughout Latin America.
Obama criticized Cubas human rights record, but he
connected with its people. His premise in opening
relations with Cuba was that engagement would bring
about more change than decades of isolation.
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Nuclear Agreements with Iran

The nuclear agreement that the U.S. and five allies reached
with Iran in 2015 was a solid arms control achievement.
Critics argued we shouldnt deal with Iran, but the
Obama administration attacked the most critical
problem Irans march toward nuclear weapons
and negotiated terms that paused Irans quest to
develop a nuclear strike capability.
By design, the agreement did not solve many other
problems with Iran, including its support for the Syrian
government and for insurgents in Iraq and elsewhere in
the Middle East. Efforts to improve American overall
relationship with Iran have proven to be disappointing.

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Climate Change Agreement/ Afghanistan and
Middle East
Obama also made progress on the environment. The 2015
Paris agreement on climate change has been signed by
over 100 nations, including the United States, China and
India, the three largest producers of greenhouse gases. If
fully implemented, it should substantially curb
greenhouse emissions over the next 15 years.
The president has had some notable missteps, however. He
did not clearly, forcefully and patiently articulate
Americas role in the world to the American people. His
surge of 60,000 troops in Afghanistan has not worked,
with the Taliban resurgent and controlling more
territory, and with no end in sight to the fighting. His
initiatives in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq and his efforts
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to counter the rise of the Islamic State have fallen short.
Relations with Russia

In relations with Russia, which Obama tried to reset,


tensions have escalated. Russia seized the Crimean
peninsula and began providing military support to
separatists in eastern Ukraine. Americans response has
been a rather porous sanction regime based on
Obamas view that these areas are a core interest for
Russia but marginal for the U.S.
Obamas approach to foreign policy has been marked by
restraint, notably his reluctance to use force. He has
used drones for surveillance, targeted terrorists with
airstrikes and imposed sanctions on nations and
individuals, but he has ruled out large-scale
intervention.
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Conclusion

To his credit, he has tried to ensure that resources of USA


matched the goals of USA. He has struggled to avoid
mission creep and being sucked into conflicts.
By and large, Obama has supported the network of laws,
institutions and agreements that have created a more
connected, interdependent world. With some stops
and starts, he has tried to make America a force for
good so people can live, as he has often said, with the
peace and dignity they deserve.

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Conclusion

In a nutshell, during his presidency, the United States has


become stronger, safer and more prosperous. In his
period, though America remained far from perfect, but
she is unquestionably the worlds leading power, with
unrivaled military, technological and economic
strength.

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Donald Trump Foreign Policy
Assumptions and Actions

Prof. Dr. Khalid Manzoor Butt


Donald Trump, more than any candidate, has challenged
basic foreign policy assumptions and dismissed the
value of traditional expertise. Some of his Cabinet
picks bring considerable experience to the job, but
many are relative newcomers with little track record as
policymakers.
But does that mean they will be a disaster, or might they be
a breath of fresh air?
So lets consider some of the assumptions Trump and his
team appear to bring to the table. Some are about how
the world works, while others concern the best way to
design and implement U.S. foreign policy.

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The administration appears still to be divided by
competing views about the U.S. role in the world.

This isn't unusual for new presidencies or even older


presidencies and the internal tug-and-pull and
policy sorting can be expected to continue for some
time to come. But the sooner the White House can
settle on a strategic orientation to unite the president
and his senior advisers, make common cause with
congressional leaders, and reunite Americans with
their allies, the safer the world is likely to be.

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A study by RAND corporation shows what are considered
as the hardest foreign policy problems the U.S. is likely
to face during this administration and the next. Some
problems, like North Korea's ballistic missile tests and
the Syrian chemical attack, are already testing the new
administration. Others, like climate change, a larger
Middle East crisis, China's outward ambitions or
Vladimir Putin's provocations, could muscle their way
onto the president's agenda at the most inconvenient
moment.

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