Former US President Barack Obama addresses the Muslim world from Cairo University in 2009. AFP
Former US President Barack Obama addresses the Muslim world from Cairo University in 2009. AFP

2009 - The Obama Doctrine: Good intentions gone bad

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Updated 22 April 2025
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2009 - The Obama Doctrine: Good intentions gone bad

2009 - The Obama Doctrine: Good intentions gone bad
  • Despite key diplomatic wins, Barack Obama’s cautious approach drew criticism for major failures in the Middle East and beyond 

RIYADH: In 2009, the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency, a distinctive approach to US foreign policy began to emerge, now often referred to as the “Obama Doctrine.” 

It was characterized by a pragmatic, multilateral and diplomacy-first strategy that aimed to restore Washington’s standing in the world after years of unilateral, aggressive interventions, spearheaded by his predecessor George W. Bush. 

At its core, the doctrine sought to redefine US leadership in a multipolar world. It was not apparent in any single document or speech, it was fashioned through a series of policy decisions, speeches and actions after Obama took office. 

One of the earliest signs of the doctrine can be found in the president’s inaugural address in January 2009, when he pledged to “seek a new way forward” with the Muslim world “based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” and to “extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” 

This rhetoric of engagement marked a departure from the more confrontational policies of the previous administration, particularly in the Middle East. 

Obama’s speech in Egypt in June 2009 further solidified this approach. Addressing an audience at Cairo University, he underscored his administration’s commitment to soft power and diplomacy as tools to address global issues, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation and regional conflicts. 

Departing from the discourse on democratization that had become too closely associated with the “war on terror” and the neoconservative ideology that had formed the theoretical framework for the 2003 military intervention in Iraq, Obama instead focused on rebuilding relations with Egypt, as well as “reaching out” to Syria and Iran. 

In an article published by Foreign Affairs magazine in 2007, Obama wrote of the need to “reinvigorate American diplomacy.”  

How we wrote it




Arab News’ front page covered Obama’s Cairo University speech, where he pledged to mend ties with the Arab world.

He warned that the US policy of “issuing threats and relying on intermediaries to curb Iran’s nuclear program, sponsorship of terrorism and regional aggression is failing. Although we must not rule out using military force, we should not hesitate to talk directly to Iran.” 

His administration’s approach, rooted in engagement with long-standing adversaries, translated into the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and was also evident in dealings with Cuba. After Obama’s inauguration, diplomatic efforts began in an attempt to thaw relations with Havana, culminating in the reestablishment of diplomatic ties in 2015. 

While he was not averse to using military power, his administration sought to limit large-scale interventions, focusing instead on targeted operations and partnerships. The drawdown of US forces in Iraq, announced in February 2009, signaled this shift toward the winding down of protracted wars. 

His foreign policy, in response to criticisms of America’s previous “go-it-alone” strategy, focused on strengthening ties with NATO and Russia, building alliances with Asia, reengaging with the UN, and participating in international forums such as the G20 to tackle issues ranging from economic recovery after the 2008 financial crisis, to climate change. For instance, under Obama the US took a leading role in the 2016 Paris Agreement. 

Despite these successes, however, his doctrine would soon prove less effective in the Middle East, where his policies, or absence thereof, drew criticism for undermining Washington’s credibility, emboldening adversaries and shaking the confidence of allies. 

His military intervention in Libya, which was authorized by the UN Security Council with the aim of protecting protesters from the crackdown by Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi on unrest in 2011, left the country in chaos and under threat from violent extremists. 

In a 2016 Fox News interview, Obama admitted that the operation in Libya was the “biggest mistake” of his presidency, for its failure to plan for the aftermath of ًQaddafi’s ouster. His stance would later be reflected by his inconsistent approach to the Middle East, in particular when Syria descended in civil war in 2012.

 

Key Dates

  • 1

    Barack Obama takes office as US president; during inaugural address vows “a new way forward” with the Muslim world “based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”

    Timeline Image Jan. 20, 2009

  • 2

    Obama addresses issue of US-Middle East relations during a speech at Cairo University.

    Timeline Image June 4, 2009

  • 3

    Obama receives 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

    Timeline Image Oct. 9, 2009

  • 4

    UN Security Council passes Resolution 1973, spearheaded by the Obama administration, which authorizes airstrikes to protect civilians in Libya.

    Timeline Image March 17, 2011

  • 5

    Obama declares his intention not to launch airstrikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, despite evidence it had used chemical weapons.

    Timeline Image Sept. 10, 2013

  • 6

    UN Security Council passes resolution ordering destruction of Syrian regime’s chemical weapons

  • 7

    Iran nuclear deal signed, delaying Tehran’s continued development of nuclear weapons in return for reduced sanctions.

    Timeline Image Jan. 17, 2016

  • 8

    Obama visits Cuba, the first such visit by an incumbent US president since 1928.

 

Obama’s reluctance to intervene in Syria led to accusations of complicity in the violence of the regime of President Bashar Assad, which killed at least 400,000 people, devastated civilian neighborhoods, and triggered one of the worst immigration crises in Europe since the Second World War. 

His hesitant approach was most evident when, in August 2012 he pledged military intervention if Assad used chemical weapons in Syria, describing this as a “red line.” A year later, on Aug. 21, 2013, Obama’s “red line” was crossed when images of victims emerged as evidence that Assad had used sarin and chlorine gas against towns near Damascus. 

In a September 2013 speech, Obama, haunted by a decade of failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, backed down from launching air strikes against the Assad regime in favor of diplomacy, saying: “I’ve spent four-and-a-half years working to end wars, not to start them.” 

Instead, he settled for a deal with Russia, later enshrined in UN Resolution 2118, which required Syria to dismantle its stockpiles of chemical weapons and provided for some covert military aid for the moderate opposition, to help diffuse the power of Islamist fighters. 

Soon, however, that proved not to be enough. Washington’s absence from Syria solidified Assad’s grip on cities, empowered Iran and Russia in the region, and created a vacuum that allowed Daesh to emerge. 

In August 2014, a US president who had once rejected the notion of a “global war on terror” found himself entangled in one. He authorized air strikes on Daesh targets in Iraq and, later, Syria, as he organized an international coalition to combat the terror group. 

In less than two years, he shifted from ordering airstrikes to deploying more than 475 additional military advisors in Iraq, and more than 4,000 ground troops, including special operations forces, in both Iraq and Syria. 




Michelle and Barack Obama with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman during the US president’s 2015 visit to the Kingdom. AFP

The rise of Daesh complicated Obama’s plans for winding down the US military presence in Iraq. At the same time, it forced him to authorize limited airstrikes in Libya. 

The influx of refugees and spill over of repercussions from the civil war in Syria destabilized the country’s neighbors, including US security partners such as Jordan and Turkey, and undermined trust in Obama’s administration, the cautious approach of which was seen as a missed opportunity to shape the outcome of the war in Syria. 

Some viewed the Obama doctrine as appeasing Iran, with the lifting of multilayered sanctions allowing the Islamic Republic to freely trade and receive foreign investment, leading to the regime in Tehran strengthening its proxy networks across the region and its corridor, via Iraq and Syria, to Lebanon. 

In addition, his reliance on drone strikes as a counterterrorism tool, particularly in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, which was portrayed as a more favorable alternative to large-scale military interventions, attracted significant criticism for the ethical and legal implications, as well as the effects on civilian populations.  

Overall, the legacy of the doctrine continues to be debated. Some hail it as a necessary recalibration of US foreign policy after the war in Iraq, while others consider it a retreat from leadership, or an overly cautious approach to global challenges. 

At a time when the Middle East was undergoing radical transformations, Washington appeared to favor hesitation over initiative, raising questions about the effectiveness of this strategy in achieving regional stability. 

  • Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). 


Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector

Updated 2 min 58 sec ago
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Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector

Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector
ISTANBUL: Turkiye has seen an easing of US sanctions on its defense sector since Donald Trump became president, with steps toward ending the measure advancing quickly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.
“We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA,,” he told reporters while returning from a European summit, referring to US sanctions legislation.
In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defense system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which aims to limit Russia’s military influence.
The move soured ties between the two NATO member countries.
It also booted Turkiye out of its F-35 program, with Washington saying the presence of the S-400 would allow the Russians to collect information on the stealth jet’s capabilities.
Erdogan said Turkiye had raised the sanctions issue with Trump and his newly-appointed envoy to Ankara, Tom Barrack
“With my friend Trump taking office, we have achieved a more open, more constructive and more sincere communication on these issues,” Erdogan added, saying Turkiye valued “every positive step in this direction.”
“I believe we will overcome the CAATSA process much faster. As two great NATO allies, there should be no restrictions or obstacles in the field of defense between us,” he said.
Turkiye’s partnership with the United States was “of vital importance for the establishment of stability in our region and the world” he said.
In March, Erdogan spoke to Trump about the need to finalize a deal to let Turkiye buy US F-16 fighter planes and be readmitted to the development program for F-35 warplanes.
Turkiye has been seeking to modernize its airforce, and has been seeking to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons which are built by a four-nation consortium grouping Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy.

Norris turns tables on Piastri in final Imola practice

Norris turns tables on Piastri in final Imola practice
Updated 13 min 18 sec ago
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Norris turns tables on Piastri in final Imola practice

Norris turns tables on Piastri in final Imola practice
  • The Briton’s best time of one minute and 14.897 seconds completed a McLaren sweep
  • Australian championship leader Piastri was 0.100 slower this time on a sunny afternoon at Imola

IMOLA, Italy: Lando Norris turned the tables on pace-setting teammate Oscar Piastri by leading a McLaren one-two in final practice for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on Saturday.

The Briton’s best time of one minute and 14.897 seconds completed a McLaren sweep of practice in Ferrari’s backyard, with the champions filling the top two positions in all three sessions.

Australian championship leader Piastri, who was fastest in both Friday sessions and is 16 points clear of Norris after six races, was 0.100 slower this time on a sunny afternoon at Imola.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the four-times world champion who has won the last three races at Imola, was third fastest and only 0.181 off the pace on the medium tire with the battle looking closer.

Mercedes’ 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli was fourth ahead of his home debut but the Bologna-born driver was half a second slower than Norris.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth on the timesheets, with seven-times world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton only 10th on the quicker soft tire as he limbers up for what will be a first race in Italy in the team’s red overalls.

Carlos Sainz, Hamilton’s predecessor at Ferrari, was sixth for Williams ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Mercedes’ George Russell with Alex Albon ninth for Williams.

Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto, debuting for Alpine after replacing ousted Australian Jack Doohan, was 18th.

Qualifying for Sunday’s race follows later on Saturday.


Palm tree falls on a person at Cannes Film Festival

Palm tree falls on a person at Cannes Film Festival
Updated 28 min 7 sec ago
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Palm tree falls on a person at Cannes Film Festival

Palm tree falls on a person at Cannes Film Festival

CANNES: A palm tree fell on a man at the Cannes Film Festival who was walking along the Croisette on Saturday in the seaside French town.
Authorities sped through festivalgoers to tend to the person who laid injured and bleeding on the sidewalk. No information was immediately available on their condition.
Representatives for the festival didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident happened midday at the festival. Cannes, which runs until May 24, is about halfway through.


Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon

Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon
Updated 20 min 36 sec ago
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Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon

Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon
  • One person was killed in an Israeli “drone strike” on a vehicle in south Lebanon’s Tyre district
  • The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces “struck and eliminated... a commander“

BEIRUT: Israel’s military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander on Saturday in south Lebanon, where authorities reported one dead in the fourth Israeli strike within days despite a November ceasefire.

Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli “drone strike” on a vehicle in south Lebanon’s Tyre district.

An AFP correspondent saw the charred wreckage of a vehicle in Abu Al-Aswad, an area around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.

The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces “struck and eliminated... a commander” involved in “the re-establishment of Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” in south Lebanon.

Israel has continued to launch strikes on its neighbor despite the November 27 truce which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah militants including two months of full-blown war.

The Israeli military said that “the rebuilding of terrorist infrastructure and related activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

Earlier this week, the Israeli military said three separate strikes in south Lebanon targeted Hezbollah operatives.

Under the ceasefire, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south.

Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems “strategic.”

The Lebanese army has been deploying in the area as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there.

At an Arab summit in Baghdad on Saturday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced “daily Israeli violations” of Lebanese sovereignty and “the ongoing Israeli occupation of positions” in the south.

He said Lebanon was working to “fully implement” a United Nations Security Council resolution that formed the basis of the ceasefire.

The resolution says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.

Salam again urged international pressure “to oblige Israel to stop its attacks and immediately and fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory.”


Saudi project turns heritage into virtual tourism

Saudi project turns heritage into virtual tourism
Updated 51 min 8 sec ago
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Saudi project turns heritage into virtual tourism

Saudi project turns heritage into virtual tourism
  • King Abdulaziz University drives innovation with geomatics technology in historic Jeddah

JEDDAH: King Abdulaziz University, through its Faculty of Architecture and Planning, has completed a virtual tourism project using geomatics technologies to deliver interactive tours of key tourist destinations.

The initiative enhances the visibility of cultural and heritage sites, and reflects the growing use of technologies to collect, analyze and interpret spatial data, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Geomatics — an interdisciplinary field combining geography, engineering, geographic information systems and remote sensing — supports informed decision-making across various sectors.

The project uses virtual tourism to help position the Kingdom as a competitive global destination, according to the SPA.

It supports the digital transformation of the tourism sector in line with Vision 2030 by using advanced technologies to create immersive experiences that allow users to explore cultural and heritage landmarks remotely.

It also aligns with the Kingdom’s progress in virtual tourism, supported by the Ministry of Tourism’s digital strategy launched in February 2022.

The strategy includes nine programs and 31 initiatives aimed at improving the tourist experience through virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Rayan Sahahiri, a faculty member in the geomatics department and project supervisor, said the initiative enhances spatial analysis of historic buildings and provides an interactive platform for virtual exploration of architectural features along the Al-Alawi axis in historic Jeddah, known as Al-Balad.

He added that the project promotes cultural awareness and could help attract investment to the tourism sector, the SPA reported.

Sahahiri pointed to historic Jeddah as a fitting example, with its many heritage buildings recognized by UNESCO.

The project offers virtual tours of sites along the Al-Alawi axis, highlighting the details of traditional Islamic architecture.

Abdullah Al-Attas, also a faculty member in the geomatics department, expressed pride in the project, which was developed by Saudi geomatics graduates Abdulrahman Kateb and Mohammed Al-Marouei.

He said that beyond digital documentation, the project aims to build a comprehensive information network to support tourism investment.

It seeks to attract both local and international investors, and contribute to the development of a digital tourism ecosystem aligned with the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals.