Strategic Failure

In this timely and fascinating account of US military power in the era of Barack Obama, a renowned historian with more than a decade inside the US Department of Defense reveals the true nature of the president’s political legacy as his two terms in office draw to a close. In stunning detail, Mark Moyar illustrates how the mounting global catastrophes of Obama’s second term are the direct result of the president’s first-term decisions to shrink US defense and replace large overseas military commitments with “light footprints.” The rise of ISIS. The Benghazi attack and murder of a US ambassador. The growing threats of Russia, China, and Iran—Moyar reveals how these and other tragic occurrences are the consequences of Obama’s: -Withdrawal of US military in Iraq -Rapid drawdown in Afghanistan -Hands-off policy with Syria -Cuts to defense spending -Reliance on drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia -Failure to deliver on his substitutes for military power -Political self-interest -International image as a weak and passive leader Most disturbing, according to Moyar’s penetrating analysis, is the clear message that Obama’s military drawdown places all Americans at risk, with conditions primed for future cataclysms at home and abroad. Drawing upon the lessons of Obama’s strategic failures, Moyar identifies methods for recovering and strengthening US national security in the years—and the administrations—to come.