Obama's Foreign Policy: Desperate, Inept, Damaging

By Scott Morgan

                                                 
There were copious amounts of euphoria and glee when Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States back in 2009. After all, the vilified George W Bush was leaving Washington and hope sprung eternal.

At the end of two chaotic terms in office - where tensions grew on an previously unseen scale - the Electorate of the United States chose another path for at least the next four years in the White House. But there have been several blunders committed that can be seen as a last ditch effort to delegitimize the Presidency of Donald Trump.

There were several actions taken at the UN over the past week that show how desperate this Administration is for a positive legacy. First of all, is South Sudan: for months, this administration has tried in vain to impose an Arms Embargo upon the struggling African Country due to the fact that their preferred candidate as leader, Riek Machar, was tossed out of the Government.

The most recent vote at the UN Security Council went poorly for the Obama Administration. Now reports indicate Japan has been highly critical of US Strategy in South Sudan during recent weeks so this could be a source of tension in the future.

Secondly is the vote regarding the Israeli Settlements. In the past, several US Administrations vetoed any such Resolution that had similar language. However, this time the US Abstained from voting on this. This marks a shift in US Policy. This vote can easily be seen as another failure to enact a positive legacy and the resulting temper tantrum.

The Third item is the most recent Cease-Fire in Syria brokered by Russia and Turkey undercutting the US Strategy. The Plan which has been endorsed by the UN Security Council was done without the participation of the US. The Russian Foreign Minister has stated that the Trump Administration is more than welcome to join the Peace Talks when they begin, in Kazakhstan, later this month.

Most of these issues can be best described as self-inflicted by the Obama Administration. Some can be seen as an attempt to tie the hands of the incoming President. No matter what happens, the legacy of Obama's ineptitude will linger on.

[The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dissecting Society]