Oussema Othmeni Unit 8- American Studies FLSH Sousse – 3rd Year
The Obama Administration: Leading From Behind (Key Concepts)
Booklet pp.106-128
I. Context
-2008 Presidential Elections: Democratic
candidate Barack Obama ran against
-Unpopular Bush Jr Administration.
Republican candidate John McCain and
won with 52.9% of the popular vote (69.4 -Personal Qualities: Youth, oratory
million votes/ 365 out of 538 electoral skills, charm, leadership, Ivy
college votes). League background.
-2012 Presidential Elections: Barack Obama -Successful campaign: Symbolism,
ran against Republican candidate Mitt normality, unification, political
Romney and won with 51.1% of the popular programs.
vote (65.9 million votes/ 332 out of 538
electoral college votes).
II. a
Obama’s Foreign Policy Approach: Leading from Behind
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The Obama Administration was influenced by Fareed Zakaria’s “Post-American World”
thesis. It embraced internationalism, rejected isolationism, and adopted a multilateralist
international arena:
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approach that promoted constructive diplomacy and reflected renewed idealism in the
A. Intellectual Framework: Obama’s foreign policy was significantly influenced by Fareed
Zakaria’s best-seller “The Post American World” (2008). This thesis argued that
globalism resulted in the emergence of new international powers defying unipolarity
and seeking further involvement in global affairs both economically and politically.
Therefore, the US needed to rethink its position on the international level.
B. Internationalism: The Obama Administration relied on international coalitions (NATO,
Great Britain, France,…) in legitimizing its foreign policy choices. It highlighted the
importance of the international community and accordingly sought international
support.
C. Multilateralism: Obama’s foreign policy valued multilateral cooperation and adherence
to international law. It created dialogue channels with Russia, China, and other BRICS
countries. It also reflected a belief in the importance of acquiring UN approval before
engaging in military operations.
D. Diplomacy and Renewed Idealism: American foreign policy under President Obama
implemented constructive diplomacy in lieu of assertive policymaking. It attempted to
utilize persuasion rather than coercion and to limit direct intervention. It also sought to
shift US focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region particularly in terms of
increasing economic cooperation.
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Oussema Othmeni Unit 8- American Studies FLSH Sousse – 3rd Year
III. Foreign Policy Achievements
A. The Iran Deal (2015): Obama succeeded in signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), otherwise the Iran Deal, with the Islamic Republic of Iran and through a
multilateral framework (P5+1) that included the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council (US, UK, Russia, France, China) and Germany. This agreement prevented
Iran from developing nuclear weapons for at least a decade in return for removing UN-
imposed economic sanctions. (The US withdrew in 2018 under Pres. Trump)
B. Troops Reduction: Obama perceived the Iraq war as unilateral, preemptive, and illegitimate
in the sense that it violated international law. Per contra, he believed that the US should
follow a similar approach to the one it adopted in the Afghanistan war which was UN-
approved and occurred with the support of an international coalition. However, Obama
succeeded in reducing the numbers of US troops present in both countries: Iraq (from
166,000 in 2007 to 5,000 in 2016) and Afghanistan (from 100,000 in 2010 to 10,000 in
2016).1
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C. Diplomatic Normalization with Cuba (2015-16): President Obama succeeded in restoring
diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2014 for the first time after 54 years of hostility. He
relaxed trade and visiting restrictions and personally visited Cuba in March 2016.
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D. The Paris Climate Accord (2016): The United States entered the Paris Agreement under
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President Obama. It reflected a significant step forward in the global effort to combat
climate change seeing that it included 190+ countries. (The US withdrew in 2017 under
Pres. Trump)
IV. Foreign Policy Failures
A. Misjudging the Arab Spring: Critics argue that the Obama Administration mishandled the
Arab Spring and implemented inefficient policies that resulted in regional instability: War in
Syria, Yemen, and Libya as well as the rise of ISIS terrorist group.
B. Relations with Russia: Foreign policy experts criticize Obama for appeasing Russia and
allowing Putin to assert Russian influence and undermine the US position in the world. This
was particularly relevant in the case of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the
consequent escalation of its military presence on the peninsula.
C. Failed to shift focus to Asia-Pacific: President Obama failed to shift the US focus from the
Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. The US remained involved in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) under the Obama Administration especially in terms of geo-political and
military struggles in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
1
Unger, David. “The Foreign Policy Legacy of Barack Obama.” The International Spectator, vol. 51, no. 4, Oct. 2016, pp. 1–
16.
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