Patient Diplomacy And A Reluctance To Act: Obama's Mark On Foreign Policy

September 20, 2016 5:01 AM ET

Heard on Morning Edition

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, the attacks on New York took place just before the annual meeting of the United Nations there. And today, the assembled world leaders hear from their host. President Obama has defined U.S. foreign policy for almost eight years now, both by what he's done and what he chose not to do. His legacy ranges from an international climate deal to the Syrian civil war. Now, Obama addresses the U.N. General Assembly one more time. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Aides say President Obama has used his annual meetings at the General Assembly to deal with international crises of the moment and to pursue an agenda for U.S. engagement with the rest of the world. There are crises aplenty[大量的,充裕的;绰绰有余的] this year, including the ongoing terror threat posed by ISIS and nuclear saber-rattling[武力威胁;战争叫嚣] from North Korea. But Derek Chollet, who served under Obama at both the State Department[国务院] and the Pentagon[五角大楼], argues the U.S. is better positioned to deal with such challenges thanks to Obama's patient engagement throughout his time in office.

DEREK CHOLLET: I contend[1] that by almost every measurement we are better off today than we were eight years ago. That's not to discount[忽视;忽略,不理会] the turmoil[混乱,骚乱,动乱] in the world. But the question is what the U.S. can do about it.

HORSLEY: Chollet argues the U.S. has done a lot under Obama, such as brokering the Iran nuclear deal, combating the Ebola virus in West Africa and restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba. But Obama's legacy is also defined by areas where he's resisted action. The president famously summarizes his cautious approach as don't do stupid stuff and Chollet, who's now defense and security adviser at The German Marshall Fund[马歇尔基金会] think tank, says that takes discipline when even some of the president's own advisers are clamoring[2] for more action.

CHOLLET: He is willing to buck the trend[3] - what sometimes passes for the conventional wisdom - in service of what a long-term strategy is, and that's of course what successful presidents have to do.

HORSLEY: The most glaring[明显的;易见的] example is Syria where Obama initially resisted calls to arm the rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad and later backed down from his own threat to retaliate[4] for Assad[阿萨德(阿拉伯叙利亚共和国总统]'s use of chemical weapons. Obama has used drone strikes[无人机袭击] and special forces[特种部队] aggressively to target suspected terrorist overseas, including Osama bin Laden. But he's been wary of[谨防的;小心翼翼的] large scale military involvement. That's partly a reaction to what he sees as the mistakes of the George W. Bush administration. But editor David Rothkopf of Foreign Policy magazine worries Obama has over learned that lesson.

DAVID ROTHKOPF: I think the president viewed his mandate[5] as getting us out of Iraq and getting us out of Afghanistan and not getting us into any more wars. What we have seen is if you get out too fast, that creates a void, which contributed to the rise of ISIS. If you don't get in, we have seen some others who have opportunistically gotten involved and made the situation worse.

HORSLEY: Conservative critics go further, saying Obama's reluctance to[不愿] engage militarily against adversaries[对手;敌人] like Assad has emboldened[6] other leaders, like Russia's Vladimir Putin. Here's former Vice President Dick Cheney speaking last year on CNN.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DICK CHENEY: We got the Chinese on the march in Southeast Asia. We've got Russia on the march in Europe. We've got ISIS and the caliphate established now in the Middle East. We think the threats against the United States are as great as any time since the end of World War II.

HORSLEY: Obama's defenders are not persuaded that a more aggressive U.S. posture in Syria would have made the situation there any better. What it would have done, they argue, is sap[7] the energy from every other piece of the president's foreign policy agenda. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes made that case on "The Axe File" podcast.

(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE AXE FILES")

BEN RHODES: What the president has done is he has refused to allow his presidency to be dragged into the quicksand[流沙;难以摆脱的困境] of the Middle East. And in doing so, he's found enormous opportunities that are going to transform the standing of the United States in the world.

HORSLEY: Supporters point to the Paris climate agreement, which Obama spearheaded[8] in partnership with China's Xi. And they say the administration's diplomatic opening to Cuba has paved the way for improved relations throughout the Western Hemisphere[西半球]. One of the president's top foreign policy priorities has been the effort to raise America's profile in the fast-growing Asia Pacific region. But a central piece of that effort, a 12-nation trade deal, could be jeopardized[9] by political opposition here at home. The White House warns if Congress fails to pass the trade deal, U.S. credibility in Asia would suffer a serious blow. Obama told reporters last week, he's not giving up.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The reason that I'm pushing this so hard is because I know and other countries know and China know that if we get this done, advantage America. And if we don't, then we're going to be disadvantaged for a long time to come.

HORSLEY: Because much of the president's foreign policy is crafted with an eye on the long term, it doesn't necessarily lend itself to scorekeeping at a convenient eight-year interval. But Chollet, the former administration official, thinks historians will view this president more favorably than many foreign policy observers do today.

CHOLLET: Often it takes historical hindsight[10] to appreciate the avoidance of mistakes. And, you know, President Obama certainly has made some mistakes, but I think he's avoided a lot.

HORSLEY: Even as he's tried to focus on the long term, though, Obama's been repeatedly tripped up[绊倒;出差错] by crises of the moment. And some, like the Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year, turn out to have lasting consequences of their own. Scott Horsley, NPR News.

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[1]contend：to say that something is true or is a fact 声称；断言；主张

The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime.

该律师声称她的委托人从未走近过犯罪现场。

[2]clamor ['klæmə]

to make a loud complaint or demand 大声（或吵闹）地抱怨，大声地要求

The children were all clamoring for attention.

孩子们都吵吵嚷嚷希望引起注意。

She clamors to go home as soon as she gets to school.

她一到学校就吵着要回家。

[3]buck the trend：to be obviously different from the way that a situation is developing generally, especially in connection with financial matters （尤指经济上）逆潮流，逆势

This company is the only one to have bucked the trend of a declining industry.

这家公司是在行业日益不景气的情况下唯一一家蒸蒸日上的企业。

[4]retaliate [rɪ'tælɪeɪt]

to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you 报复；反击

If someone insults you, don't retaliate as it only makes the situation worse.

如果别人侮辱了你，不要报复，因为这样只会使情况变得更糟。

The demonstrators threw rocks at the police, who retaliated by firing blanks into the crowd.

示威者向警察投掷石块，警察则还以颜色，向人群发射空弹。

The terrorists retaliated against the government with a bomb attack.

恐怖分子实施了一次炸弹袭击来报复政府。

[5]mandate：the authority given to an elected group of people, such as a government, to perform an action or govern a country 授权；委任

At the forthcoming elections, the government will be seeking a fresh mandate from the people.

在即将到来的选举中，政府将向人民寻求新的支持。

[6]embolden：to make someone brave 使有胆量

Emboldened by drink, he walked over to speak to her.

他借酒壮胆，走上前去与她搭话。

[7]sap：to make someone weaker or take away strength or an important quality from someone, especially over a long period of time （尤指经过一段很长的时间）使伤元气；削弱；使耗尽

Constant criticism saps you of your confidence.

不间断地有人批评会消磨信心。

Taking care of her dying mother had sapped all her energy.

照顾临终的母亲耗尽了她的全部精力。

[8]spearhead：to lead something such as an attack or a course of action 领导（攻击、行动等）；充当…的先锋；带头做

British troops spearheaded the invasion.

英军充当入侵的先锋。

Joe Walker will be spearheading our new marketing initiative.

乔‧沃克将会负责推行我们新的营销计划。

[9]jeopardize ['dʒepədaɪz]

to put something such as a plan or system in danger of being harmed or damaged 使处于危险境地；危及，损害

She knew that by failing her finals she could jeopardize her whole future.

她知道考试不及格会影响自己的整个前程。

[10]hindsight：the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened 事后聪明，事后明白

With (the benefit/wisdom of) hindsight, I should have taken the job.

事后一看，我真应该接受那份工作。

In hindsight, it would have been better to wait.

事后看来，等一等会更好。

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