Obama’s Disciplined Leadership Is Right for Today

US opposition parties often blast the president for “weakness” in foreign policy. No understanding of faraway places, complex history or intricate relationships is required. In a stable period, diplomacy is more essential than a fast finger on the trigger. “In this context, what is needed from Washington is not a heroic exertion of American military power but rather a sustained effort to engage with allies, isolate enemies, support free markets and democratic values and push these positive trends forward,” suggests Fareed Zakaria in an opinion essay for the Washington Post. “The Obama administration is, in fact, deeply internationalist — building on alliances in Europe and Asia, working with institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, isolating adversaries and strengthening the global order that has proved so beneficial to the United States and the world since 1945.” Zakaria compares Barack Obama’s leadership style to that of Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican president during the 1950s who once said that leadership requires persuasion, conciliation, education and patience. Force does not solve all problems. – YaleGlobal