An incisive evaluation of foreign policy and the meaning of power in the Obama era.

President Obama’s first term in office was subject to intense criticism; not only did many feel that he had failed to live up to his leadership potential, but that he had actually continued the foreign policy framework of the George W. Bush era he was supposed to have abandoned. This edited volume examines whether these issues of continuity have been equally as prevalent during the president’s second term as his first. Is Obama still acting within the foreign policy shadow of Bush, or has he been able to establish his own approach towards international affairs, distinct from his predecessor? Within this context, the volume also addresses the idea of legacy and whether Obama has succeeded in establishing his own distinct foreign policy doctrine. In addressing these questions, the chapters explore continuity and change from a range of perspectives in International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis, which are broadly representative of a spectrum of theoretical positions. With contributions from a range of US foreign policy experts, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of US foreign policy, Foreign Policy Analysis and American politics.

This volume examines the foreign policy transition from George W. Bush to Barack H. Obama in relation to the countries of the Americas. In this work, contributors consider the major defining features of their respective policies in dealing with security-related issues. Specifically, they examine whether major differences or continuities truly exist between the foreign policies of Bush and Obama, especially given the perception of American decline. The volume highlights Obama’s foreign policy in the Americas, focusing on issue areas that threaten international security, such as drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism. This work provides both theoretical and policy insights for academics and policy analysts interested in foreign affairs.

US Presidential Doctrines Handbook - Reagan, Carder, Clinton, Bush, Obama

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2014 in the subject Politics - Region: Middle and South America, grade: 65, Queen Mary University of London (School of Politics and International Relations), course: Latin American Politics, language: English, abstract: This essay analyzes the conduct of US foreign policy towards Latin America under President Obama from three perspectives. First, the ideologic dimensions will be covered through an analysis of Cuba policy under the Obama administration. Secondly, security policy will be analyzed with an investigation of relations with Mexico and Colombia. Lastly, the essay will cover the Obama administration's position vis-a-vis neoliberal economic policies in Latin America.

Academic Paper from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1, , language: English, abstract: Over centuries, the U.S. foreign policy has been experiencing reforms to reflect the status of the nation’s international relations. These reforms have been instrumental to different administrations in the American history in addressing both domestic and international challenges. For instance, the emergence of the Cold War which created tension between the U.S. and its foes including Russia and the Soviet Union prompted Truman’s and Eisenhower’s administrations to adopt the containment policy, in order to counter Soviet aggression. This strategy enabled the U.S. to subvert political, military and economic consequences of Stalinism. Despite the numerous reforms that have been designed to redefine the U.S. foreign policy in accordance to its domestic and international interests, it is apparent that the country has not yet adopted an ‘all-inclusive’ foreign policy that advances its interests. In the current global order, numerous issues related to the U.S. foreign policy have emerged including the intensification of domestic and international challenges. These changes in the evolving global order seem to have placed the U.S. foreign policy in a state of drifting. Holmes & Inboden (2015) reaffirm that “America's standing in the world, and arguably its influence -- has diminished” (par. 6). This phenomenon can be explained by the current rifts between the United States and its continental allies which are characterized by the rise of anti-U.S. political regimes in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. This calls for appropriate measures which will redefine U.S. engagement with the international community as it is envisaged in the Obama’s Doctrine, the ‘Grand Strategy’ (Chadha & Muni, 2014). Therefore, this research paper will provide a comprehensive overview on the U.S. foreign policy drift. It will discuss this phenomenon by focusing on the rifts between the United States and other countries which have compromised the effectiveness of the country’s foreign policy.

The New York Times bestselling author of Shadow Warriors investigates the tragedy of Benghazi to answer the questions: what really happened—and why? We know the Obama administration’s story, of a demonstration caused by an Internet movie that went out of control. But what actually did happen in Benghazi on the night of September 11, 2012? Dark Forces is the story of clandestine arms deliveries by the United States and its allies to Libya that wound up in the hands of Islamist guerrillas. It’s a story of a romantic diplomat, in love with the Middle East and with a mystical version of Islam. It’s a story of bald-faced lies, heroic acts, and the deepest corruption. But Dark Forces is not only a retelling of events. It puts those events into the larger context of Obama administration policy toward the Middle East. It will examine the administration’s record of systematically supporting Muslim Brotherhood and extremist groups in their efforts to overthrow pro-U.S. autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. It shows how President Obama’s obsessive outreach to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran led the Iranian regime to dismiss him as a weak, ineffective leader who would not fight back. And it shows why and how this deadly combination cost the lives of four Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.

The election of Barack Obama has raised major expectations in Europe and opened up new opportunities for dealing with global challenges. Authored by leading experts from both sides of the Atlantic, this book provides an authoritative analysis of the most topical issues facing the agendas of the European Union and the United States. The volume addresses the global questions of multilateralism, the economy, disarmament, and climate change, as well as key regional issues including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, Africa, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book concludes that it is imperative that Europeans and Americans seize "the Obama moment" in order to capitalize on the urgency of acting now. They will also need to move to a new paradigm of the EU-U.S. relationship and NATO's role within it--one that takes account of the fact that the West needs "the Rest" to deal with the most pressing issues of our time. "An important contribution to the debate on how we can renew our transatlantic partnership for a new age.... This book lays out the challenges and choices we face. It deserves to be widely read."--Javier Solana, high representative for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy "A timely contribution to the much-needed dialogue regarding transatlantic relations. Both sides need to understand each other better and this volume helps its readers understand the causes of discord and the key issues to be addressed." --Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to President Carter Contributors include Alexandra Bell (Ploughshares Fund), John Bruton (Ambassador, EU Commission to the United States 2004-09), Tom Cargill (Chatham House), Joseph Cirincione (Ploughshares Fund), James F. Dobbins (RAND), Nikolas Foster (SAIS Johns Hopkins University), Daniel S. Hamilton (Center for Transatlantic Relations), Bruce Jones (Center on International Cooperation, NYU), Erik Jones (SAIS Bologna Center, Johns Hopkins University), Ibrahim Kalin (Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding), Andrew Kuchins (CSIS), Michael O'Hanlon (Brookings Institution), Rouzbeh Parsi (European Union Institute for Security Studies), Glen Ranwala (University of Cambridge), Pawel Swieboda (demosEUROPA), and Alex Vines (Chatham House).

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY WIRED In this brilliant smart-thinking book about the power and influence of social media, Professor Sinan Aral shows how ‘hyper-socialization’ has profoundly changed us.