Obama’s realist framing masked continued military expansion across many fronts

Evidence

That was, after all, Obama’s genius. Words were weapons designed to lull and disarm and then, when all defenses were down, the drones were deployed abroad and informants were carefully placed in American mosques. President Obama was fully wed to the War on Terror, but an iteration of it that aligned with neoliberal strategy and sensibilities. As the number of days between Cairo and reality increased, his “historic” speech revealed a hidden agenda. — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 299 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

In 2012, Obama’s Defense Strategic Guidance document, titled “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” refocused US foreign policy and its military structure. It made clear that the United States will continue to fight against “violent extremists,” even though the assassination of bin Laden has diminished al-Qaeda. As the report states, “its affiliates remain active in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere”; the US military will “monitor” these groups and strike “the most dangerous groups and individuals when necessary.” In short, Obama would continue the War on Terror on nonstate actors through surveillance, but also through drone attacks and the use of Special Operations Forces. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 433 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

After Obama won the election, he continued Bush’s second-term foreign policy agenda. While he retreated rhetorically from the use of harsh Islamophobic language, in practice he sent thirty thousand more troops to Afghanistan, expanded the war to Pakistan, and tried to alter the Status of Forces Agreement in Iraq so as to not only extend the US occupation but also grant immunity to US troops from Iraqi prosecution. Not only did he carry out far more drone attacks on Afghanistan and Pakistan than his predecessor, he also integrated them into his strategies for Yemen and Somalia. He made a show of demonstrating his loyalty to Israel and failed, like every previous president, to prevent Israeli attacks on Palestinians. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 579 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Obama’s realist framing masked a continuation of Bush-era imperial warfare — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 501; Obama’s multilateral realism was a continuity of Bush-era imperial strategy — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 501; Obama’s inaugural staff retained Bush hawks while launching new wars (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Obama’s conciliatory rhetoric masked continued drone and surveillance warfare #corroborates (0.98) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 299
• Obama continued and expanded Bush’s imperial wars despite softer rhetoric #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 579
• Obama legitimized and expanded the war on terror, not reversed it #corroborates (0.95)
• Obama’s defense guidance continued the War on Terror via drones and special forces #corroborates (0.95) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 433
• Obama continued the War on Terror through rhetorical seduction. #corroborates (0.92)