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President Barack Obama is ending an 8 year run conducting America's foreign policy.

He has had to deal with Iran, Russia, Cuba, China, climate change and the whens and hows of using military force.

Four experts debate the accomplishments and failures of President Obama in an Intelligence Squared debate with the motion: Obama's foreign policy is a failure.


Those arguing in favor of this motion include 

 former US ambassador to the European Union.

 VP of National Security and International American Progress.

 To see whether or not President Obama has failed during his presidency Kristin Silverberg said to look at the goals Obama had set for himself.

He has failed to stop the wars in the middle east and failed to stop mass atrocities, two things he stressed as being priorities during his presidency, Silverberg said.

Using portions of a book written by one of her opponents, "The Long Game" by Derek Chollet, Silverberg then pointed to the failings of the administration in Syria, calling it the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II and a strategic disaster.

"From an administration that called the prevention of mass atrocities a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility, Syria is a colossal failure with consequences that will be with us for generations to come," said Silverberg.

 Foreign policy success should be measured in a simple way, Derek Chollet said. "Did the president improve on what he inherited."

Eight years ago America was a declining power, Chollet argues, Americans were losing their jobs, homes and the economy was on the verge of collapse.

"In too many places around the world in 2008 the United States was not identified with hope and opportunity, and optimism and making people's lives better," Chollet said. "But with torture, and militarism, and Guantanamo Bay and climate change denial." 

Obama did, in fact, accomplish a great deal of what he set out to do despite the many challenges he faced, Chollet argued.

"To judge Obama think of it this way," Chollet said. "In terms of America's power in the world, would you rather be Barack Obama taking the baton from George W. Bush and what he left behind, or would you rather be Donald Trump taking the baton from Barak Obama and what he left behind."

Chollet asked the audience to consider the reason so many allied foreign leaders have expressed concern following Trump's election, and why so many foreign adversaries were cheering.

To listen to the entire debate, click the audio player above.

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Four experts debate the accomplishments and failures of President Barack Obama's 8 years conducting America's foreign policy.

Four experts debate the accomplishments and failures of President Obama's 8 years conducting America's foreign policy.

Four experts debate Obama's accomplishments, failures in foreign policy

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