When Barack Obama was elected President in 2008 voters were as much voting for a change in foreign policy as a shift on domestic issues. In this last midterm election Republicans gave that Obama brand a "shellacking" yet the entire election was built around domestic policy issues. No republican, or Democrat for that matter, ran on anything resembling foreign policy issues. Journalists at news organizations such as BBC, PRI, The Huffington Post, the San-Francisco Chronicle, and Foreign Policy have all written on this topic from one point of view or another. Foreign Policy contributor Aaron David Miller advises President Obama not to push too hard on foreign policy while facing potential gridlock at home. Others have suggested the exact opposite course. The question still remains what the republican voice (if there even is a unified voice) will be on foreign policy issues.
The reality is that no-one can truly understand what will happen globally in the next two years or the crises that will occur in that time. However we do know that President Obama will face an opposition congress on his domestic agenda. It is then also likely that he will face similar opposition on many foreign policy issues regardless of the individual views of some members of congress. Should then the President give up on his foreign policy or “go small” as Mr. Miller suggests?
President Obama certainly cannot look to foreign policy as his saving grace, but neither should he be “contracting” the US role on the global stage. President Obama has already proved to be a resourceful and smart leader on the world stage. If Obama pursues a foreign policy agenda that includes Republicans then he can make strides abroad while not expending political capital on domestic issues.
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