RNC Research

The Washington Post Headline: “Foreign Policy Based On Fantasy.” (Jackson Diehl, Op-Ed, “Foreign Policy Based On Fantasy,” The Washington Post, 10/27/13)

Obama’s Middle East Strategy Appears To Have “Come Unhinged.” “Five years after pledging to remake the U.S. relationship with the broader Middle East and improve America’s image in the Muslim world, the Obama administration’s regional strategy appears to have come unhinged.” (Matthew Lee, “Analysis: Obama’s Grand Plan For Mideast Shrinks,” The Associated Press, 1/11/14)

• Obama Has His Foreign Priorities Backward. “Media reports that the U.S. National Security Agency may have spied on the leaders of Germany, Mexico and Brazil have upset those longtime allies too, adding to the impression in some quarters that Obama has his foreign priorities backward.” (Matt Spetalnick, “U.S. Allies In Middle East From Saudi Arabia To Israel Frustrated With Obama’s Aversion To Regional Conflicts,” Reuters, 10/25/13)

Obama’s Foreign Policies Have Driven A Wedge Between The United States And Some Of Its Closest Allies. “Barack Obama wrote those words in 1983, when he was a student at Columbia University. He was describing the nuclear freeze movement and how its focus on warhead numbers left the larger social justice issues of the Cold War era unaddressed. But he could just as well have been describing his own policies in the Middle East 30 years later — and why they have driven a wedge between the United States and some of its closest allies.” (Jackson Diehl, Op-Ed, “Foreign Policy Based On Fantasy,” The Washington Post, 10/27/13)

Former Members Of The Administration Say Missteps By Obama Are To Blame For The Current Tumultuous Foreign Climate. “In some cases, the current climate has been driven by factors outside the White House’s control. But missteps by the president also are to blame, say foreign policy analysts, including some who worked for the Obama administration.” (Julie Pace, “For Obama, World Looks Far Different Than Expected,” The Associated Press, 8/25/13)

• “There Are Growing Fears That The U.S.’s Mideast Policy Has Become Rudderless And Reactive, And May Be Contributing To Worsening Conditions And A Rise Of Islamic Extremism.” “While the crises engulfing the Middle East cannot be blamed on Obama, there are growing fears that the U.S.’s Mideast policy has become rudderless and reactive, and may be contributing to worsening conditions and a rise of Islamic extremism, notably in Syria and Iraq.” (Matthew Lee, “Analysis: Obama’s Grand Plan For Mideast Shrinks,” The Associated Press, 1/11/14)

“An Erratic Presidency Has Made The World A Bit Less Safe.” “Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, and in the long run Riyadh and Washington were always going to make an odd couple. But the current spat is not about values but about reliability and performance. The Obama administration has botched Syria and, in the Saudi (and Israeli) view, cannot be trusted to deal firmly with Iran. An erratic presidency has made the world a bit less safe.” (Richard Cohen, “A Question Of Competence,” The Washington Post, 10/28/13)