PrintAugust 21, 2012
Grading Obama's Foreign Policy
Touted claims of major foreign policy accomplishment by the Obama administration include:
1. Iraq: ended the war in Iraq (U.S. troops out of Iraq).
2. Afghanistan: stabilized Afghanistan and began drawing down troops.
3. Al-Qaeda: attrited al-Qaeda (Got rid of al-Qaeda leaders bin Laden, al-Awlaki, al-Rahman).
4. Arab Spring: established democracy in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia (got rid of brutal dictators Mubarak, Gaddafi).
5. U.S. prestige: restored America's prestige abroad.
On the surface, these claims seem to have some legitimacy. An examination, however, reveals otherwise.
1. Iraq One of the primary messages of Obama's presidential campaign concerned the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. President Obama and America's military were able to implement this promise, as more than 90,000 combat troops were withdrawn out of Iraq by August 31, 2010. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.
The fact is, however, that Obama strongly opposed Bush's successful surge which...(Read Full Article)
