Barack Obama will leave office with important domestic and international achievements in place, among them the Iran deal, a historic climate change pact and the Asia and Europe trade agreements.  During his term in office, Obama conducted himself with grace and dignity.

Perhaps the most difficult tasks he faced during his administration were those concerning American foreign policy. One very serious question that comes to my mind is:  when should presidents order the military to intervene beyond US borders and when should they not?

American diplomacy is most often effective when it is backed by a strong military. This is why Obama’s defence of his decision to pull back from striking Syrian military targets in 2013 was so troubling.  He rejected the notion that his restraint back then diminished US credibility in the region.

However much Obama may believe that the old rules do not apply any longer, it is an ancient truth that a great power like the US has to back up its threats if it wishes to be respected by its adversaries. If Obama did not intend to honour his threat, he should never have made it in the first place.  The end result was inevitable: American credibility has now undeniably diminished in the Middle East while that of Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been enhanced. Here is where the Obama doctrine came up short.

He is right about one thing, however:  2016 is a time to return to diplomacy. He still has time to present a larger and more expansive view of what America can and should achieve in the world. It would certainly be reassuring, though, if Obama acknowledges the fact that combining diplomacy with military strength is not a relic of an antiquated Washington play book. On the contrary, it is the surest way for a great power like America to find success and peace in such a complicated and dangerous world.