Secretary of State John Kerry hailed President Obama’s new “strategic patience” National Security Strategy as “a blueprint to leverage America’s leadership in a more complicated world than many people would have ever imagined.”
“It’s ambitious and achievable. It’s a pragmatic, clear-eyed assessment of both the challenges we face and the full arsenal of our power to confront them through moral, diplomatic, economic, development, and military tools. It’s a strategy to promote our values in a world where no ocean, no fence, and no firewall can shield us from the reality of threats across the globe,” Kerry said. “In the 21st Century, next door is everywhere.”
“Whether the opportunities and threats are old or new, from proliferation to violent extremism to global climate change, this strategy reflects the fact that America needs to lead, we will lead, and we are leading. It’s a vision of an America that energizes and galvanizes alliances and partnerships and puts our credibility and our capacity on the line to get things done.”
Republican on the Hill had different adjectives in mind, such as vague and confounding.
“The president’s 2015 National Security Strategy highlights a conflict between perception and reality,” said Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). “The president puts an emphasis on climate change as a means to address our national security, which is nothing new and not a strategy. It’s his same old arguments but in new packaging.”
“The reality is we live in a world where the threats to our security have grown exponentially over the last six years. During this period of time, our U.S. military has been systematically dismantled and the lack of U.S. leadership and presence has created a vacuum around the world,” Inhofe continued. “The president’s strategy promotes a continued pivot to rebalance Asia and the Pacific, but yet there are no resources available given the instability in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The president promotes nuclear zero with a willingness to unilaterally disarm America while watching Iran and North Korean develop their nuclear capabilities.”
Obama for “strategic patience” to face challenges ranging from rampaging terrorists to Vladimir Putin on the march.
“America leads from a position of strength. But, this does not mean we can or should attempt to dictate the trajectory of all unfolding events around the world,” Obama wrote in the preface of the report. Global challenges, he added, “require us to take our responsibilities seriously and make the smart investments in the foundations of our national power.”
“I doubt ISIL, the Iranian mullahs, or Vladmir Putin will be intimidated by President Obama’s strategy of ‘strategic patience.’ From their point of view, the more ‘patience’ President Obama practices the stronger they become,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said.
“The Obama Doctrine, or ‘strategic patience,’ has led to a world in chaos. We now confront a growing threat from radical Islamists intent on striking the American homeland as well as wreaking havoc on the Middle East, Iranian mullahs intent on obtaining nuclear weapons capability, strengthened dictatorships in Russia and Cuba, and the poorest relationship with Israel in decades.”
Graham added that the consequences of Obama’s “strategic patience” are “an America that is less secure and at greater risk.”
“Applying more ‘patience’ to President Obama’s failed foreign policy just prolongs failure.”
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon “actively participated” in developing the strategy.
“It is clear-eyed about our nation’s challenges as well as our strategic opportunities,” Hagel said.
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