Is Obama Reinventing Himself?

In 2009, President Barack Obama began his first term in an atmosphere of great optimism. The public had hope that the country would improve, despite the economic crisis that had arisen the previous fall. Changes were on the way, and Obama´s election became the symbol of those changes. Moreover, the Democratic Party held the majority in both houses of Congress.

Obama arrived with an ambitious agenda based on his proposals and promises during the 2008 election campaign. In terms of national policy, he opted to concentrate his initial effort on the reform of the health care system. And in 2010, he achieved the approval of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

He promoted immigration reform extensively, but at the start of 2011, with a Republican majority in the lower house, the act was left by the wayside.

In the international arena, Obama tried to change the United States’ image throughout the world. During his first year, he was particularly successful. In Europe and parts of Asia, stocks rose when he announced that he would end U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 2009, Obama had some memorable moments, at least on paper. During press conferences in Prague and Cairo, Obama announced that he would fight for a world free of nuclear weapons and that he would attempt to improve relations with the Muslim countries of the Middle East. In 2009, Obama also reached out to Russian President Dimitri Medvediev. The following year, they signed an agreement to reduce their strategic nuclear arsenals.

But then came the backlash. With the return of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency in 2012, the relationship between Moscow and Washington began to deteriorate due to the former´s adventures in Ukraine and the latter´s obsession with increasing NATO presence in the countries bordering Russia. Furthermore, Obama authorized the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and the Arab Spring left grim, unforeseen consequences everywhere but Tunisia.

U.S. presidents usually have a rough time at the end of their administrations. They generally think about their historical legacy, in what I refer to as Mount Rushmore syndrome, based on the grandeur of the South Dakota Mountain that boasts the relief sculpture of four presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt..

But, without the possibility of continuing in office, the outgoing presidents usually become what we call a “lame duck.”

In 2015, Obama begins the last two years of his government with a Republican majority in both Houses of Congress. He is definitely a lame duck. It will be very difficult for him to work with congressmen and senators who do not share his agenda. Because of this situation, he has begun a one-sided exercise of trying to achieve results through executive orders — measures that almost all U.S. presidents have employed.

An executive order is a mechanism that the executive power can employ in order to carry out minor actions and also to apply certain provisions of laws that have already been approved by Congress. In this way, for example, he reversed his massive deportation policy and avoided, at least until the end of his term, dividing millions of undocumented immigrant families.

Obama has also ordered the renewal of diplomatic relations with Cuba. It is a symbolic step that has assured him a place in history. Unfortunately, the sanctions against Cuba were imposed by Congress and only the legislative power can lift the embargo.

What other areas could Obama influence during his last two years without having to turn to Congress? In one, the promise to close the prison at Guantanamo, he has already made much progress. There are still 127 detainees, but perhaps he will be able to relocate them soon.

Obama´s critics usually say that he likes to apologize for the alleged mistakes made by past administrations in Washington. They cite the prison at Guantanamo as an example. What those critics do not say is that Guantanamo is a symbol of what a country like the United States should not do. Neither do they mention its price: Each prisoner costs about $3 million annually, when a prisoner in a maximum-security prison costs about $75 thousand.

Another issue that Obama could perhaps resolve from his desk is his country´s relationship with Iran. For that, he will have to successfully finalize the treaty that is being negotiated with Tehran in order to assure that its nuclear program will used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Achieving this could bring about improved relations with that nation.

Relations with Mexico could also be mitigated from the White House. Last Tuesday, President Enrique Peña Nieto made a brief visit to Washington. There were protests in the U.S. capital and on social networks by Ayotzinapa, and non-governmental organizations insisted that Obama specifically address the human rights violations in Mexico.

We might not ever know what Obama said to Peña Nieto in private. What we heard from Obama in his arranged appearance before the press — questions were not permitted — was a lukewarm statement. It´s important to remember that if human rights are not respected, Obama has within his grasp measures to reduce the help that Mexico receives from the United States under the Merida Initiative that combats drug trafficking and organized crime. Hopefully, Washington will exert more pressure in this area.

Obama is re-emerging as a president. The previous examples are proof of that, as is the treaty on climate change signed with China last November, an action which could help bring about the success of the climate change conference that will be held in Paris this year.

In the last leg of his presidency, Obama is acting with audacity, watching the U.S. economy recover and unemployment decrease. That´s not bad for a lame duck.