Obama Outlines National Security Doctrine

Eight years ago President George W. Bush went to West Point to declare a new, bomb-a-holic course for American security. Now, President Barack Obama has used the same platform to declare a revised doctrine, one that roots security in diplomatic engagement and international alliances.

Obama was speaking at the military academy’s graduation ceremony. And, of course, he was speaking to soldiers who could face combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, which suggests that today’s policy isn’t completely different from the old. –JCL

The New York Times:

President Obama outlined a new national security strategy rooted in diplomatic engagement and international alliances on Saturday as he repudiated his predecessor’s emphasis on unilateral American power and the right to wage preemptive war.

Eight years after President George W. Bush came to the United States Military Academy to set a new course for American security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Obama used the same setting to offer a revised doctrine, one that vowed no retreat against American enemies while seeking “national renewal and global leadership.”

“Yes, we are clear-eyed about the shortfalls of our international system,” the president told graduating cadets. “But America has not succeeded by stepping outside the currents of international cooperation. We have succeeded by steering those currents in the direction of liberty and justice – so nations thrive by meeting their responsibilities, and face consequences when they don’t.”

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