Is Obama's foreign policy failing in the Muslim world?
Obama still enjoys a political advantage over Mitt Romney on national security. But as violence grips the Mideast, the president is coming under new scrutiny

The anti-U.S. protests that have swept the Muslim world in the last week have triggered aggressive GOP attacks on President Obama's foreign policy. Obama's 2008 opponent, Sen. John McCain, blamed rioting at U.S. diplomatic posts on Obama's policy of "disengagement" from the region, including troop drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The campaign of Obama's current GOP rival, Mitt Romney, said the Mideast turmoil exposes the failure of Obama's "outreach efforts in the Middle East and North Africa," and the loss of America's ability to influence the governments of the Muslim world. Is Obama's overseas record as bad as Republicans say?
Obama's failure is undeniable: The president's "Middle East policies are in shambles," says Michael Barone at Human Events. The facade crumbled the day rioters tore down the American flag at our Cairo embassy, and Islamist militants killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya. As historian Walter Russell Mead put it, Obama's effort to win over moderate Muslims has "angered Israel without reducing Islamist bitterness against the United States."
"The consequence of Obama's bungled Mideast policy"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Obama is still strong on foreign policy: When it comes to overseas issues, polls show that voters trust Obama more than Romney, and they haven't forgotten that under Obama, America killed Osama bin Laden and ended the Iraq war, says Steve Kornacki at Salon. Of course, it's possible that the "obvious volatility" in the Middle East could prompt voters to "reconsider Obama's leadership," More likely, though, Romney will regret trying to "portray the unrest as an indictment" of Obama's policies. Voters trust the man in the White House, and remember the many successes he presided over.
"How Obama stole the GOP's issue"
At least now we'll get a debate on foreign policy: So much for a campaign dominated by the economy, says Doyle McManus at the Los Angeles Times. Now voters will also have to weigh the differences between Obama's combination of outreach with limited use of power, and Romney's "costlier, but bolder" approach, which includes more defense spending and a possible strike to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. The contrast is sharp, and now voters know it.
"Romney vs. Obama on foreign policy"
Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump tariffs: five scenarios for the world's economy
The Explainer A US recession? A trade war with China? How 'Liberation Day' could realign the globe
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Warfare: an 'honest' account of brutal engagement in Iraq
The Week Recommends Alex Garland's film focuses on the 'overwhelming, sensory journey' of conflict
By The Week UK Published
-
Is This Working?: a 'strangely gripping' look at British working life
The Week Recommends Author Charlie Colenutt weaves an 'utterly fascinating and thoroughly depressing' history of jobs
By The Week UK Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published