Bending History ─ Barack Obama's Foreign Policy

How well has President Barack Obama carried out his duties as commander in chief, top diplomat, and grand strategist? Despite having won election to a second White House term, he still has not been able to change the toxic climate of Washington. Economic difficulties dominated the early years of his presidency, but history's verdict on his presidency will likely hinge as much on foreign policy. In "Bending History," a trio of renowned foreign policy experts illuminates the grand promise and the great contradictions of a leader who has captured the attention and imagination of citizens around the world like few of his White House predecessors.

Conflicting caricatures of Obama miss the mark. Contrary to what many on the Right believe, he is not a na?ve apologist trying to quash American "exceptionalism." And while some on the Left look to him as a transformational political figure, others believe he is an accommodationist lacking the nerve to end the excesses of George Bush's antiterror policies. Not surprisingly, Obama is substantially more complicated and nuanced than any of these images allows.

"Bending History" argues that Obama thus far has, above all, been a foreign-policy pragmatist, tackling one issue at a time in a thoughtful way. On balance he has been competent and solid, choosing reasonable policies (or least-worst options, at least) with an approach typified by thoroughness, reasonably good teamwork, and flexibility when needed.

Martin S. Indyk is vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings and a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. He is the author of Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East (Simon & Schuster). Kenneth G. Lieberthal is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy and Global Economy and Development at Brookings and author of Managing the China Challenge: How to Achieve Corporate Success in the People's Republic (Brookings). Michael E. O'Hanlon is a senior fellow and the director of research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, where he holds the Sydney Stein Jr. Chair. His many books include 2012's The Opportunity: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Arms, written with Steven Pifer (Brookings).