Military Force in Obama’s Policy
https://doi.org/10.17994/IT.2017.15.2.49.6
Abstract
This article contributes to the evolving discussion on general principles of Obama’s foreign policy. It is noted that the thesis on his restraint in taking war decisions results from the analysis of his behavior in the Syrian crisis. The article overviews the history on Obama’s military decision-making in the Afghan crisis in 2009–2011, when this crisis was the top priority for B. Obama. Obama faced the choice between counterterrorism and counterinsurgency and opted for the latter, which implied massive use of force. On
this basis the author adjusts the thesis on Obama’s restrain in making military decisions. Obama’s views on the use of military force evolved. At the beginning of his presidency the American president was a true believer in military force. He wanted to narrow objectives of use of force, but to increase the force as such. He was sure that necessary force, up to the requests of the military professionals, would effectively achieve limited goals. However, Obama was frustrated with the growing demands of the military. He was reconfirming counterinsurgency with less and less resolution, having to review the strategy. However, he managed to escape the ultimate dilemma on what to do with the reliance on force, which did not justify expectations. After Osama ben Laden was killed, which was not a direct result of the counterinsurgency strategy and was not its goal, Obama de-facto withdrew from commitment to use of force in Afghanistan. Later on Obama was more careful with use of force, in particular in the Syria crisis.
About the Author
Ivan Safranchuk
МГИМО МИД России
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Dr Ivan Safranchuk - Associate Professor, Department of World Politics; Leading Research Fellow, Center for Central Asia and Afghanistan Studies, MGIMO University
Moscow, 119454
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Review
For citations:
Safranchuk I. Military Force in Obama’s Policy. International Trends / Mezhdunarodnye protsessy. 2017;15(2):89-98. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17994/IT.2017.15.2.49.6
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