In recent months, a curious argument has surfaced in favor of US President Barack Obama. His supporters argue that ObamaÂ’s foreign policy has been a massive success. If he had as much freedom of action on domestic affairs as he has on foreign affairs, they say, his achievements in all areas would be without peer.
Expressing this view, Karen Finney, a former Democratic spokeswoman who often defends the party in the US media, told The Huffington Post, “Look at the progress the president can make when he doesn’t have Republicans obstructing him.”
According to a Gallup poll from early November, the US public also believes that ObamaÂ’s foreign policy has been successful. Whereas 67 percent of Americans disapproved of ObamaÂ’s handling of the economy and the federal budget deficit, 63% of Americans approved of his terrorism strategy. So, too, 52% approved of his decision to remove US forces from Iraq. In general, 49% of Americans approved of ObamaÂ’s handling of foreign affairs while 44% disapproved.
These support levels tell us a great deal about the insularity of the American public. For when one assesses the impact to date of ObamaÂ’s foreign policy it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that if the US public was more aware of the actual consequences of his policies, his approval rating in foreign affairs would be even lower than his approval rating in domestic policy. |