History has a cruel sense of humor. Just watch President Barack Obama struggle with a war in Iraq and Syria during his final years in office; watch him discuss what kind of U.S. military he will hand over to the next president, and think back to the campaign promises that put him in office, a vow to end America’s “dumb war” in Iraq.
The irony is inescapable. But it is more than that. Like it or not, Obama’s struggle with conflict in the Middle East is a sign that foreign policy is set to emerge as a key issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. And, at least according to a new CNN/ORC International Poll, it’s an issue that the public feels the President isn’t delivering on.
But the reality is that the challenges are multiplying — and there are no easy answers. From Iraq, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere on the globe, there are very real and very tough choices facing the next president. The most urgent ones, and by far the most complicated, come from the epicenter of instability, the smoldering Middle East.
What is America to do?
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