The Americans don’t have the weapons for peace. They can’t make [Israel and Hamas] communicate ... But more than anything, they don’t seem to have the authority to force the two parties to come to an agreement.
Speaker of the House John Boehner intends to sue President Obama. The reason: Obama governs too often with executive orders. But previous presidents did the same — and much more often.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, the Obama years are likely to be recalled negatively. Whether it's the crisis in Ukraine, dealing with Russia or handling the Middle East problem, U.S. diplomacy gives the impression of incoherency.
The United States relied solely on its military might in ending conflicts for far too long a time. That now haunts them — in Iraq and other locales as well.
Should Obama be able to use the Iraq crisis to forge a lasting alliance with Iran, it would be a veritable diplomatic stroke of genius. Yet one should not be naive: The conflict against ISIS may unite both countries in the short term. Then, however, their visions for the region's future diverge.