Obama Addresses the Limits of Using Power in Syria and Nigeria
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT, NYT
MAY 8, 2014
SAN JOSE, Calif. — As President Obama hopscotched the California coast this week on a fund-raising trip for Democratic candidates and other causes, he used one of the glittering events to offer a candid meditation on the powers of the presidency and its limits.
He spoke of the abductions of hundreds of girls by a terrorist group in Nigeria, and he mentioned the civil war in Syria and the suffering imposed on its people. But he acknowledged that it was not clear how far he should go in using American power to respond to such atrocities.
“I have this remarkable title right now — president of the United States,” he said Wednesday night in Los Angeles. “And yet every day when I wake up, and I think about young girls in Nigeria or children caught up in the conflict in Syria — when there are times in which I want to reach out and save those kids — and having to think through what levers, what power do we have at any given moment.”
It was an unusual confession for a president, and Mr. Obama made it at an event where he was receiving an award, presented by the director Steven Spielberg, for his efforts in fighting genocide around the world.
The use of American power — as some in Washington have insisted is called for in Nigeria and Syria — is not enough, and it is not the only option, Mr. Obama said. Instead, he said, “by keeping memories alive, by telling stories, by hearing those stories, we can do our part” to save lives.
(More here.)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — As President Obama hopscotched the California coast this week on a fund-raising trip for Democratic candidates and other causes, he used one of the glittering events to offer a candid meditation on the powers of the presidency and its limits.
He spoke of the abductions of hundreds of girls by a terrorist group in Nigeria, and he mentioned the civil war in Syria and the suffering imposed on its people. But he acknowledged that it was not clear how far he should go in using American power to respond to such atrocities.
“I have this remarkable title right now — president of the United States,” he said Wednesday night in Los Angeles. “And yet every day when I wake up, and I think about young girls in Nigeria or children caught up in the conflict in Syria — when there are times in which I want to reach out and save those kids — and having to think through what levers, what power do we have at any given moment.”
It was an unusual confession for a president, and Mr. Obama made it at an event where he was receiving an award, presented by the director Steven Spielberg, for his efforts in fighting genocide around the world.
The use of American power — as some in Washington have insisted is called for in Nigeria and Syria — is not enough, and it is not the only option, Mr. Obama said. Instead, he said, “by keeping memories alive, by telling stories, by hearing those stories, we can do our part” to save lives.
(More here.)
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1 Comments:
Was President Obama addressing the limits of American power or the childlike foolishness of red line blusters?
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