The Obama Doctrine

March 24, 2014

By Gary Sick, Columbia University | http://pomeps.org/2014/03/24/the-obama-doctrine/
* This memo was prepared for the “Visions of Gulf Security” workshop, March 9, 2014.
Over the past quarter century, the most accurate single factor to explain security developments in the Gulf, as well as the best predictor of the future, has been and is U.S. policy in the region. Since it began to be a significant force, U.S. policy has undergone at least five major shifts. The current policy, which I will call the Obama Doctrine, represents the latest, and possibly one of the most important, iterations.
The expansion of U.S. presence