Obama @ Westpoint: Syria and more

The traditional Commencement Speeches by U.S. presidents at the West Point Military Academy usually chart the course of their foreign policy agenda for their remaining term. President Barack Obama, in his speech on Wednesday, outlined the U.S.’s priorities for the remainder of his presidency and possibly further.

As Obama stressed the need for U.S. leadership, he also clarified the position of “not going alone.” “Tough talk draws headlines, but war rarely conforms to slogans,” he said, while addressing the issue of intervention. Obama detailed his argument with this sentence:

“When issues of global concern that do not pose a direct threat to the United States are at stake – when crises arise that stir our conscience or push the world in a more dangerous direction – then the threshold for military action must be higher. In such circumstances, we should not go it alone. Instead, we must mobilize allies and partners to take collective action.” He then elaborated how sanctions and international pressure on Iran and Russia had actually yielded results.

Despite all its pitfalls, one has to give credit to Obama’s foreign policy doctrine. On Syria though, there is still a lot to be done. Obama, without naming Bashar al-Assad, said his government would support the people fighting against a dictatorship, while also adding that “in helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we also push back against the growing number of extremists who find safe-haven in the chaos.” 

In a conference call following the speech, a senior administration official stressed the importance of Syria as a priority this summer. It has...