Pursuing Ambitious Global Goals, But Strategy Is More

The world still has high hopes for a transformative second and final term of US President Barack Obama. The president is ambitious and aware, ready to move an agenda to fulfill those expectations, reports David E. Sanger for the New York Times. The United States celebrated the president’s inauguration on Monday; the inaugural speech was progressive yet realistic, pointing to the need to battle inequality and climate change, reform tax codes and immigration policies. Sanger suggests that Obama will rely on President Dwight Eisenhower as role model: “Just as Mr. Obama has privately worried about being manipulated by generals who were trying to lengthen the American involvement in Afghanistan, Eisenhower left office warning of the ‘military-industrial complex’ that he feared would dominate American decision making.” Influence building will require strengthening the domestic economy and confidence –uniting Americans even while tackling trouble spots in Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and elsewhere not yet foreseen. If Obama does not secure cooperation from US Congress, he will strive to “redirect world events subtly, rather than turning to big treaties, big military interventions and big aid packages.” – YaleGlobal