Bending History

Bending History
Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages : 354
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780815724476
ISBN-13 : 0815724470
Rating : 4/5 (76 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Bending History by : Martin S. Indyk

Download or read book Bending History written by Martin S. Indyk and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2013-09-04 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the time of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, he had already developed an ambitious foreign policy vision. By his own account, he sought to bend the arc of history toward greater justice, freedom, and peace; within a year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, largely for that promise. In Bending History, Martin Indyk, Kenneth Lieberthal, and Michael O’Hanlon measure Obama not only against the record of his predecessors and the immediate challenges of the day, but also against his own soaring rhetoric and inspiring goals. Bending History assesses the considerable accomplishments as well as the failures and seeks to explain what has happened. Obama's best work has been on major and pressing foreign policy challenges—counterterrorism policy, including the daring raid that eliminated Osama bin Laden; the "reset" with Russia; managing the increasingly significant relationship with China; and handling the rogue states of Iran and North Korea. Policy on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, has reflected serious flaws in both strategy and execution. Afghanistan policy has been plagued by inconsistent messaging and teamwork. On important "softer" security issues—from energy and climate policy to problems in Africa and Mexico—the record is mixed. As for his early aspiration to reshape the international order, according greater roles and responsibilities to rising powers, Obama's efforts have been well-conceived but of limited effectiveness. On issues of secondary importance, Obama has been disciplined in avoiding fruitless disputes (as with Chavez in Venezuela and Castro in Cuba) and insisting that others take the lead (as with Qaddafi in Libya). Notwithstanding several missteps, he has generally managed well the complex challenges of the Arab awakenings, striving to strike the right balance between U.S. values and interests. The authors see Obama's foreign policy to date as a triumph of discipline and realism over ideology. He has been neither the transformative beacon his devotees have wanted, nor the weak apologist for America that his critics allege. They conclude that his grand strategy for promoting American interests in a tumultuous world may only now be emerging, and may yet be curtailed by conflict with Iran. Most of all, they argue that he or his successor will have to embrace U.S. economic renewal as the core foreign policy and national security challenge of the future.


Bending History Related Books

Bending History
Language: en
Pages: 354
Authors: Martin S. Indyk
Categories: Political Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-09-04 - Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By the time of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, he had already developed an ambitious foreign policy vision. By his own a
Big Bend's Ancient and Modern Past
Language: en
Pages: 346
Authors: Bruce A. Glasrud
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-09-18 - Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Big Bend region of Texas—variously referred to as “El Despoblado” (the uninhabited land), “a land of contrasts,” “Texas’ last frontier,” or
Bending History
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: John L. Epps
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2005 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This collection conveys the message and methods of a radical 20th century churchman who started a global movement of renewal of the church and local communities
Bending Adversity
Language: en
Pages: 418
Authors: David Pilling
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-02-24 - Publisher: Penguin

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“[A]n excellent book...” —The Economist Financial Times Asia editor David Pilling presents a fresh vision of Japan, drawing on his own deep experience, as
Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Animals of Big Bend
Language: en
Pages: 241
Authors: Cindi Sirois Collins
Categories: Nature
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-06-06 - Publisher: University of Texas Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A time-traveling field guide to the ancient version of Big Bend National Park.