Hussein Ibish, The National
The incoming president, in all probability Hillary Clinton, will be inheriting the most mishandled major US foreign policy since the Iraq invasion. The Obama administration has allowed the Syrian conflict to get so far beyond American influence, and ceded control so firmly to Russia and its nefarious allies, that fixing the policy meltdown has become infinitely more difficult than avoiding it ever would have been.
Paul Wood, Spectator
We're backing more than one side -- even when we don't bomb the wrong one.
Stephen Walt, Foreign Policy
Clinton will curb her activist tendencies for another reason: Despite record-low interest rates, there isn't a lot of slack in the federal budget or public tolerance for big increases in the national debt. A serious infrastructure program will cost several trillion dollars, and Clinton might even have to buy off GOP hard-liners by agreeing to some modest defense increases. Republicans are bound to resist significant tax reform too, so there won't be a lot of new revenue... Читать дальше...
Simon Tisdall, The Guardian
When the president came to power, he vowed to look east with his foreign policy. But as he prepares to leave office, the US looks increasingly impotent in the region.