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Constraints on President Obamas Foreign Policy:

His Cabinet, Facts on the Ground, & The Military Establishment

Spencer Brown

GOVT 340
Professor Koev
February 4, 2015

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Article II of the United States Constitution states that the President shall be the commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States He shall have power to make
treaties [and] appoint ambassadors. 1 These constitutionally outlined duties show, to some
extent, the powers over foreign affairs given to the President. As seen in the tenure of Barack
Obama, the American President is able to pursue whatever foreign policy they may desire, but
there are at time obstacles that prevent the full realization of coherent policies.
Renowned Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward detailed many constraints in his
book Obama's Wars. Woodward discusses how the President encountered missional problems
when high-ranking commanders in the military establishment criticized the administrations
strategy, when his closest advisors distracted the president with short-term political concerns, and
when the actions of other world leaders in different cultures conflicted with the presidents own
gameplan.2 In the following paragraphs, I will focus on the effects of Obamas cabinet, the conditions on the ground in the regions the president had to respond to, and a public disagreement
between the president and a high-ranking member of the military establishment.
As Woodward explains, the selection of a cabinet was one of the most important tasks for
President Obama to complete at the beginning of his tenure.3 And while the selections were within the president's control, the people who he chose came from backgrounds and with ideologies
outside of his power. Choosing certain power players like Hillary Rodham Clinton were smart
and calculated political maneuvers. The top cabinet spot was clearly important to President

U.S. Constitution, art. 2, sec. 2.

Bob Woodward, Obamas Wars, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010).

Ibid., 13.

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Obama who worked hard to convince his former primary "nemesis" to join his team even after
what he described as a vituperative campaign. "Obama realized he needed someone with enough
stature to be seen as a major player on the world stage," Woodward writes.4 In tapping Clinton to
be Secretary of State, Obama made a bold political move that paid off with the influence of Secretary Clinton winning points for the U.S. abroad.
While some members of Obama's cabinet were strengths that contributed to his ability to
shape American foreign policy, the president's closest advisors can also be a stumbling block to
the policies the President desires. President Obama has proven susceptible to this problem within his inner circle of advisors, where he has encountered some problems when planning and enacting his foreign policy agenda.
The president's National Security Advisor General James L. Jones thought Obama's senior political advisors were trouble. "Jones ... saw [White House Political Advisors] as major obstacles to developing and deciding on a coherent policy."5 These elite staffers "did not understand
war or foreign relations ... and were too interested in measuring the short-term political impact of
the President's decisions.6 The impact of these political advisors is seen even now, six years into
the Obama Administration. Before his first election, Obama was an outspoken, acerbic opponent of the Iraq War.7 He also promised to close down the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. These two stances reiterated over and over on the campaign trail bound the

Ibid., 27.

Ibid., 137.

Ibid., 138.

Ibid., 16.

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Presidents actions, because any moves to the contrary would be viewed by the public as flipflopping on his promises. Now six years into the Obama administration, the President is still
struggling to empty the cells at Guantanamo, and has sent American forces back into Iraq as part
of coalition to fight the growing ISIS threat.
The President is also constrained by international factors including the conditions on the
ground in other nations around the world. For example, Commander of the U. S. Central Command General Petraeus believed that "the U.S. could not kill its way out of the war."8 Instead Petraeus recommended that the United States "protect and win over the population, living among
them [the Iraqis], providing security so that a stable and competent government could thrive."9
This reality conflicted with the Presidents desire to pull troops out of Iraq. Pakistan's stance on
collateral loss provides an example of another international factor that impacts President Obamas foreign policy. "Collateral damage worries you Americans. It does not worry me," Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said in a meeting with top level American intelligence officials.10 Zardari was speaking about civilian casualties in Pakistan resulting from U.S. drone
strikes. Although he had only been president for a few months, Zardari wanted America's help in
killing senior al Qaeda leaders, regardless of the cost. In this case, Obama was limited because of
public opinion and resources back home [in the U.S.]. 11

Ibid., 15.

Ibid.

10

Ibid., 26.

11

Ibid,. 64.

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When a charismatic community organizer-turned President comes up against seasoned
military experts, difficulties are sure to arise. Dissension in the ranks is normally a problem sorted out Pentagon offices, but Rolling Stone magazine would be the forum for a profile breaking
the story of bad blood between Obama administration officials and General Stanley McChrystal,
who commanded U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. The president, acting as commander in
chief, ordered McChrystal back to Washington, D.C.12 "It was like a funnel cloud rising for ...
the whole military establishment," writes Woodward. McCrystal confided in Biden saying that
by his actions I have compromised the mission. 13The Rolling Stone article once again
expose[d] the messiness and mistrust between the White House and the military, writes Woodward, highlighting the repeatedly strained relationship between the White House and the military
establishment, a facet of the Obama administration that clearly affects the Presidents foreign
policy in terms of military mission.
Before being elected, Obama was very optimistic about the work he would be able accomplish as president, perhaps over optimistic. The varying conditions in the countries impacted
by his foreign policy, the strained relationship between the White House and the military establishment, and lack of proper focus within his cabinet meant a rocky realization of the presidents
foreign policy. As it stands today, Guantanamo Bay is still open and housing detainees, and
American forces are again being sent into Iraq, two things the President hoped to accomplish.
Sure he has experienced success in certain areas, but the issues I discussed through Woodwards
lens show just a few of the hurdles that President Obamas policies have failed to clear.

12

Ibid., 372.

13

Ibid.

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Bibliography
U.S. Constitution, art. 2, sec. 2.
Woodward, Bob. Obamas Wars. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2010.