Hard Power in a Soft Package: The 'True' Conservatism of Obama Leadership in Foreign Policy, Journal of Global Analysis, 2012 (original) (raw)

Analyzing President Obama's foreign policy and its global impact is no easy task. The early presidency of Obama has been marked by vicious attacks from the right, deep disappointment from the left, and something like indifference from the international community. This is understandable when the main argument is entertained: the expectations of Obama's global positions have not met reality mainly because they are more closely aligned with a cautious and considered 'true' conservatism, something no side (left, right, international) anticipated. The consequences of this becomes more than just about election results but has significant potential influence on the fundamental debates between soft and hard power. . He is the author of two well-received books and over half a dozen articles on the problems in promoting democracy and fighting terrorism. He has worked on projects involving the intelligence communities from over a dozen countries and actively seeks to promote leadership cooperation across these communities. Barack Obama…will restore America's standing in the world by providing a new American leadership to meet the challenges of a new century…Barack Obama…will reverse this perception of American arrogance and obstructionism. 1 Analyzing President Obama's foreign policy, or rather, analyzing the intellectual and positional evolution of his global positions is no easy task. It would not be hyperbole to say Obama came into office with the hopes and dreams of millions of Democrats and perhaps even the muted optimism of many moderate Republicans. In other words, hitting everything right on the mark was likely impossible. This only makes the present analysis more interesting, for the early presidency of Obama has been marked by vicious attacks from the right, deep disappointment from the left and relative indifference from the international community. This negativity is more understandable when the main argument here is entertained: expectations have not been met in terms of foreign policy because Obama's positions have more closely aligned with what some might call 'true' conservatism, something no side foresaw in 2008.