The Consequentialist

There is so much more complexity to the White House politics than I previously thought. Obama often gets this rep that he’s “soft” on issues but it’s the nature of the White House and the situation in the Middle East that force him to play the hands that he’s given. And what are the hands he’s given?

One reaction among liberals to the Bush years and to Iraq was to retreat from “idealism” toward “realism,” in which the United States would act cautiously and, above all, according to national interests rather than moral imperatives. The debate is rooted in the country’s early history. America, John Quincy Adams argued, “does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all,” but the “champion and vindicator only of her own.”

That, however, is only half the equation. Obama isn’t a traditional liberal; he takes both roads taken. His “soft” stance stems from the fact that he’s always trying to maintain a balance between idealism and realism, just like how he aims for compromise between the Democrats and the GOP.

But in Obama’s pursuit of balance with foreign politics—to keep all sides of the Middle Eastern powers happy—he ignores the common men and women of the Arab Spring revolutions.

“Unfortunately, the people who focus on those two worlds here in Washington are still often very different groups. The world of states is still the world of high politics, hard power, realpolitik, and, largely, men,” [Hilary Clinton] said. “The world of societies is still too often the world of low politics, soft power, human rights, democracy, and development, and, largely, women. One of the best parts of my two years here has been the opportunity to work with so many amazing and talented women—truly extraordinary people. But Washington still has a ways to go before their voices are fully heard and respected.”

I wish Obama took a more presiding stance on more issues but I understand that he has to deal with complexities of great magnitude, where even a small vocal support for a rebellion may alienate Israel and Saudi Arabia. So instead of opting for Obama doctrine and making himself heard, Obama—the consequentialist—leads from behind to make small, conservative changes rather than to advertise his political stance and fracture the already fragile relationships in the Middle East.