Obama fights critics, pledges aid to Syria rebel groups
29 May 2014 11:01 PM GMT
President Barack Obama fought back against critics of his foreign policy on Wednesday by insisting U.S. reliance on diplomacy over military intervention was working to resolve global crises like Ukraine and Iran, and he pledged to ramp up support for Syria’s opposition.
In a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, Obama laid out a broad approach to foreign affairs for the remainder of his presidency that shifts the fight against terrorism from Afghanistan to more diffuse threats elsewhere in the world. Obama’s tendency to rely on diplomacy and steer clear of foreign entanglements has drawn fire from opposition Republicans in Congress and various foreign policy pundits, who would prefer a more robust approach.
One of those areas is Syria. In his speech, Obama defended his decision not to intervene militarily there and expressed a willingness to expand assistance to Syrian opposition groups who are trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad. ‘As president, I made a decision that we should not put American troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian war, and I believe that is the right decision,’ he said. ‘But that does not mean we shouldn’t help the Syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people.’
Obama said the administration would work with Congress to ‘ramp up’ support for groups who ‘offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators.’ More resources would be given to Syrian neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq as well. Obama also announced plans for a $5 billion counterterrorism fund aimed at training and equipping partners in other countries to fight violent extremism.The president on Tuesday outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and the rest by 2016, ending more than a decade of U.S. military engagement. Barack Obama also made it clear that he will continue to authorise CIA-operated drone strikes and covert operations abroad to capture terrorists based on ‘actionable intelligence’, moves that are controversial in countries like Pakistan.
In a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, Obama laid out a broad approach to foreign affairs for the remainder of his presidency that shifts the fight against terrorism from Afghanistan to more diffuse threats elsewhere in the world. Obama’s tendency to rely on diplomacy and steer clear of foreign entanglements has drawn fire from opposition Republicans in Congress and various foreign policy pundits, who would prefer a more robust approach.
One of those areas is Syria. In his speech, Obama defended his decision not to intervene militarily there and expressed a willingness to expand assistance to Syrian opposition groups who are trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad. ‘As president, I made a decision that we should not put American troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian war, and I believe that is the right decision,’ he said. ‘But that does not mean we shouldn’t help the Syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people.’
Obama said the administration would work with Congress to ‘ramp up’ support for groups who ‘offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators.’ More resources would be given to Syrian neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq as well. Obama also announced plans for a $5 billion counterterrorism fund aimed at training and equipping partners in other countries to fight violent extremism.The president on Tuesday outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and the rest by 2016, ending more than a decade of U.S. military engagement. Barack Obama also made it clear that he will continue to authorise CIA-operated drone strikes and covert operations abroad to capture terrorists based on ‘actionable intelligence’, moves that are controversial in countries like Pakistan.
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