06-29-2015, 11:00 AM
(06-28-2015, 09:29 PM)Jimbone Wrote: Interesting that no one mentioned the disastrous foreign policy Obama has presided over. That's going to be a major part of his legacy, and there isn't much to like.
Just off the top of my head, in terms of foreign policy...
-I like that relations are being rebuilt with Cuba after half a century; I think it's long overdue.
-I like that Obama does not support Israeli PM Netanyahu's policies even when they're wrong (IMO); specifically the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. That big "fuck you all" expansion is overwhelmingly viewed as a violation of international law outside of Israel (and by many inside of Israel as well).
-I like that a nuclear deal with tight controls is being pursued with Iran; I think it's a better option for the U.S., Israel and the world than the U.S. going to war with Iran on behalf of Israel. Plus, I think Iran's Shiite regime is key to pushing back ISIS expansion and that better relations between the U.S. and Iran are in both country's best interests.
-I like that Syria was boxed into destroying its chemical weapons under Obama's administration. I also like that the U.S. did not blindly arm the "rebels" early on; many of whom were not fighting Assad for Syrian liberation but instead were Islamic Fundamentalists exploiting the civil war and attempting to create a caliphate in the secular country. And, I like that the U.S. is not storming into the Middle East and instead has formed alliances with Middle Eastern countries and NATO to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. I hate what's happening in Syria, but I don't know how it should best be addressed or if the U.S. could/should do anything better.
-I like that the U.S. has supported/partnered with the Kurds in Iraq and Syria to push back ISIS.
-I like that the U.S. is working towards reciprocal economic gains with China.
The Bergdahl exchange, the absence of U.S. top leadership at the post-Hebdo unity march in France, the U.S. surveillance of European leaders' private communications... are foreign policy/relations actions which I dislike or don't support based on my current understanding.