Quote:
Originally Posted by nik-
No, it's a generic vague statement. If that's a clear and accurate interpretation of his foreign policy then no wonder it was so milquetoast.
|
It's not a generic or vague statement. Maybe you just don't understand what that term means or recognize it in action.
You are aware that all administrations will have an overarching philosophy that drives their foreign policy? And that decisions are based off that philosophy? Administrations just don't make random decisions as instances arise. They employ a strategy based on their overall philosophy and all decisions are based on establishing a pre-determined endstate. That is how political agendas are achieved. Random decisions are seldom made.
The Obama Doctrine was based predominantly on non-interventionism (not getting drawn into foreign engagements with large commitments of troops or assets) and multilateralism (building coalitions to address issues in foreign states and share the burden of finding resolution). The efficacy of that doctrine is the only thing open for debate at this point. Considering the state of the world that he inherited I think he left office with a better situation than what he walked into. I don't think they achieved the endstate they hoped for, but they left a better situation than what they had on their first day.
Now we'll see what Trump does and what his foreign policy is. So far, he appears to be all over the roadmap. He's more than willing to rattle the sword like the Bushies, but he's following through on his sabre rattling with Obama-like responses, but with Trump flourish and results. Trump has ordered an embarrassing failed attack by a SEAL team, used $100 million worth of cruise missiles to not close an airbase, and then dropped the bigliest non-nuclear munition in the American arsenal in a remote part of Afghanistan to kill 36 insurgents. No one is sure what the Trump Doctrine is based on, or what direction it is headed, but so far it is all about using flashy shows of force with little to no result or regard for a possible endstate.