04902cam a22004934a 4500 17131272 BJBSDDR 20250604100339.0 a|||||r|||| 00| 0 ta 120123s2012 dcu b 001 0 eng 2012001924 015899386 Uk 9780815721826 (hardcover : alk. paper) 081572182X (hardcover : alk. paper) (OCoLC)ocn729346525 DLC eng DLC BTCTA YDXCP UKMGB BDX DBI DAY CDX BWX CGU DLC eng pcc n-us--- 002 E 907 I42b 2012 973.932 Indyk, Martin Sean, 1951-2024 42372 Bending history : Barack Obama's foreign policy / Martin S. Indyk, Kenneth G. Lieberthal, Michael E. O'Hanlon. Barack Obama's foreign policy Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, 2012. ix, 342 pages ; 23 cm. Brookings focus book Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-330) and index. Introduction -- Emerging power : China -- War, counterterrorism, and homeland protection -- Middle East peacemaking -- The Arab awakenings -- The rogue states -- The "soft security" agenda : energy, climate, and weak states -- The arc of history is long. "Examines first years of the Obama presidency and effects on American foreign policy, including the U.S. relationships with China and Pakistan, war in Afghanistan and withdrawal from Iraq, movement toward Middle East peace, response to the Arab Spring, agendas involving energy, climate, and weak states, and approaches to rogue states"--Provided by publisher. "How well has Barack Obama carried out his duties as U.S. commander-in-chief, top diplomat, and grand strategist? He has been unable to change the climate of Washington, and economic difficulties have dominated the first two years of his presidency. But his larger success or failure will likely hinge as much on foreign policy. In Bending History, a trio of renowned foreign policy experts illuminates the grand promise and the great contradictions of a new president who has captured the attention and imagination of citizens around the world unlike few of his White House predecessors. Conflicting caricatures of Obama miss the mark. The Right largely believes he is a naïve apologist trying to quash 'American exceptionalism,' or at best trying too hard to meet the demands of his Democratic Party. Conversely, while many on the Left still see him as a transformational political figure, the great antidote to George Bush's unilateralist militarism, others believe he is an accommodationist who lacks the nerve to end the excesses of Bush antiterror policies. Not surprisingly, Obama is substantially more complicated and nuanced than any of these images allows. Bending History argues that Obama thus far has, above all, been a foreign policy pragmatist, tackling one issue at a time in a thoughtful way. On balance he has been competent and solid, choosing reasonable policies (or least-worst options, at least) with an approach typified by thoroughness, reasonably good teamwork, and flexibility when needed. The seasoned authors aim to present the first serious book-length appraisal of Obama's foreign policy. They are Martin Indyk, a diplomat with great experience in the volatile region that has seen almost unimaginable political change in 2011 (the Middle East); Kenneth Lieberthal, an oft-quoted authority on the historic rise and political economy of China; and Michael O'Hanlon, an accomplished analyst of national security policy, particularly the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With fairness and sophistication, the authors blend their own expertise with access to major military and diplomatic players at top levels of the administration. They find little strategic coherence in a foreign policy that is notable mostly for its individual initiatives rather than unifying themes, despite what the persona of Barack Obama himself represents symbolically and rhetorically"--Provided by publisher. Obama, Barack, 1961- 497 Seguridad nacional 428 Estados Unidos United States Foreign relations 2009- Estados Unidos Relaciones exteriores 2009- 73 Estados Unidos Política y gobierno 2009-2017 2561 Lieberthal, Kenneth G. (Kenneth Guy), 1943- 42507 O'Hanlon, Michael E. (Michael Edward), 1961- 25119 Brookings focus books 25252 7 cbc orignew 1 ecip 20 y-gencatlg lcc BK 4476 4476 0 0 lcc 0 0 RR BJB BJB RR 2023-04-04 0 002 E 907 I42b 2012 00000107471 2018-10-23 00:00:00 1 BK