Going the Distance

President Barack Obama is a man with strong opinions but cautious about imposing those on others. The first quality irritates his opponents and the second frustrates supporters. David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, profiles Obama and tackles the array of issues confronting any president. Depending on luck and which issues are pursued, Obama still has potential for presidential greatness. Yet, Obama is hampered by a culture adept at ignoring evidence on long-term implications and a political system that increasingly gives weight to the wealthy and lobbyists of powerful industries. Obama senses pervasive inequality both in the United States and overseas, and the final sections of the article focus on foreign policy. “At the core of Obama’s thinking is that American military involvement cannot be the primary instrument to achieve the new equilibrium that the region so desperately needs,” Remnick writes. “Ultimately, he envisages a new geopolitical equilibrium, one less turbulent than the current landscape of civil war, terror, and sectarian battle. “ Obama protests he does not have a computer-game joystick to manipulate precise outcomes, but recognizes his role in history. The article concludes with Obama suggesting that “it’s definitely a good thing” that one man, the president of the United States, cannot remake society. – YaleGlobal