By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
A new national security strategy paper revealed Friday by the Obama administration seeks to ensure that the U.S. does not overextend itself abroad.
President Barack Obama said that U.S. “resources and influence are not infinite. And in a complex world, many of the security problems we face do not lend themselves to quick and easy fixes.”
“We have to make hard choices among many competing priorities, and we must always resist the overreach that comes when we make decisions based upon fear,” he said in the introduction to the 29-page strategy paper.
The document falls in line with Obama’s long-held national security position, and is an update to the preceding paper issued in 2010. It does not foretell major changes to the foreign crises the U.S. is currently involved in – whether the fight against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, or the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
But it does call for redoubling efforts on cybersecurity, Russian aggression, climate change, and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
“We must be clear-eyed about these and other challenges and recognize the United States has a unique capability to mobilize and lead the international community to meet them,” Obama said.
Secretary of State John Kerry said that the “pragmatic” document is a “blueprint to leverage America’s leadership in a more complicated world.”
“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,” he said in a statement. “In the 21st century, next door is everywhere.”
Obama’s foreign strategies have come under criticism for over-relying on diplomatic efforts to meet national security challenges, particularly from Republicans who challenge the president's hesitance to become militarily involved in Syria and Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice rebutted the criticism, saying that while the administration will work tirelessly to defend the U.S. and the American people, "we aim to avoid sending many thousands of ground forces into combat in hostile lands."
"We cannot afford to be buffeted by alarmism in a nearly instantaneous news cycle," she said at the Brookings Institution. "We must continue to do the hard work of leading in a complex and rapidly evolving world."
She said that Obama still has two years remaining in his term, and "two years is plenty of time" to address the challenges posed by ISIL and "Russian aggression."
