Presidency of Barack Obama

Leading Blindly across a Minefield

Dimitri K. Simes

Paul J. Saunders

| Jan 02, 2013

The international system is at a transformative moment. Yet President Obama has failed to set a direction for America.

All the President's Dreams

Richard Burt | Feb 24, 2010

President Obama came to office promising a new era in international affairs. So far, he’s been big on rhetoric and has accomplished little. Obama’s inability to prioritize foreign policy risks destroying his presidency.

Detention Nation

Karen J. Greenberg | Apr 27, 2009

George W. Bush’s policies toward terror detainees were perhaps some of his most jaw-dropping. Barack Obama came to office promising to change course. So far, he has done little. It remains to be seen whether the president can—or wants to—develop a

A Sit-Down with Brent Scowcroft

Justine A. Rosenthal | Jan 21, 2009

The principles of transformationalism—idealism spread by the barrel of a gun—have been central to America’s foreign-policy failings over the last eight years. With a new leadership in power, Washington has a chance to right past wrongs. But that w

The Ascension

R. Nicholas Burns | Jan 21, 2009

The creation of Barack Obama’s legacy will play out against three fundamental backdrops: America’s financial crisis; the ability to shore up the power of the United States; and the willingness of Joe Q. Public to spend blood and treasure beyond ou

The Art of the Possible

Lee H. Hamilton | Nov 01, 2007

When a U.S. administration announces unrealistic foreign-policy goals, it sets itself up for failure. Today, we confront a very different international landscape, and the heady days of 2003 permanently belong to the past.

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