Barack Obama: Difference between revisions

Following Obama's election, many pondered the existence of a "[[post-racial America]]".<ref name="wrodgers">{{cite news |last1=Rodgers |first1=Walter |date=January 5, 2010 |title=A year into Obama's presidency, is America postracial? |work=The Christian Science Monitor |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Walter-Rodgers/2010/0105/A-year-into-Obama-s-presidency-is-America-postracial |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117065412/http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Walter-Rodgers/2010/0105/A-year-into-Obama-s-presidency-is-America-postracial |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="shearalcindor1">{{cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael |last2=Alcindor |first2=Yamiche |date=January 14, 2017 |title=Jolted by Deaths, Obama Found His Voice on Race |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/us/politics/obama-presidency-race.html |access-date=January 17, 2017 |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116205805/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/14/us/politics/obama-presidency-race.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, lingering racial tensions quickly became apparent,<ref name="wrodgers" /><ref name="ccil2">{{cite news |last1=Cillizza |first1=Chris |date=August 14, 2014 |title=President Obama's vision of post-racial America faces another stress test with Ferguson |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/08/14/president-obamas-desire-to-reshape-race-relations-runs-into-stark-realities/ |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033531/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/08/14/president-obamas-desire-to-reshape-race-relations-runs-into-stark-realities/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and many African-Americans expressed outrage over what they saw as an intense racial animosity directed at Obama.<ref name="jblake">{{Cite web |last=Blake |first=John |date=July 1, 2016 |title=What black America won't miss about Obama |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/politics/why-black-america-may-be-relieved-to-see-obama-go/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003024730/https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/politics/why-black-america-may-be-relieved-to-see-obama-go/ |archive-date=October 3, 2022 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> The [[Trial of George Zimmerman|acquittal]] of [[George Zimmerman]] following the [[killing of Trayvon Martin]] sparked national outrage, leading to Obama giving a speech in which he said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago."<ref name="ccilliza">{{cite news |last1=Cillizza |first1=Chris |date=July 19, 2013 |title=President Obama's remarkably personal speech on Trayvon Martin and race in America |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/07/19/president-obamas-remarkably-personal-speech-on-trayvon-martin-and-race-in-america/ |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117022902/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/07/19/president-obamas-remarkably-personal-speech-on-trayvon-martin-and-race-in-america/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The shooting of [[Shooting of Michael Brown|Michael Brown]] in [[Ferguson, Missouri]] [[Ferguson unrest|sparked a wave of protests]].<ref name="capeheart2">{{cite news |last1=Capeheart |first1=Jonathan |date=February 27, 2015 |title=From Trayvon Martin to 'black lives matter' |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/02/27/from-trayvon-martin-to-black-lives-matter/ |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117013956/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/02/27/from-trayvon-martin-to-black-lives-matter/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These and other events led to the birth of the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement, which campaigns against violence and [[Institutional racism|systemic racism]] toward [[black people]].<ref name="capeheart2" /> Though Obama entered office reluctant to talk about race, by 2014 he began openly discussing the disadvantages faced by many members of minority groups.<ref name="pbacon">{{cite news |last1=Bacon |first1=Perry Jr. |date=January 3, 2015 |title=In Wake of Police Shootings, Obama Speaks More Bluntly About Race |publisher=NBC |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/barack-obama/wake-police-shootings-obama-speaks-more-bluntly-about-race-n278616 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151111003526/http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/barack-obama/wake-police-shootings-obama-speaks-more-bluntly-about-race-n278616 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In his election campaign, Obama called the war in Iraq a "dangerous distraction" and that emphasis should instead be put on the war in Afghanistan,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/15/obama.iraq/index.html |title=Obama calls Iraq war a 'dangerous distraction' |work=[[CNN]] |date=July 15, 2008 |access-date=August 15, 2022}}</ref> the region he cites as being most likely where an attack against the United States could be launched again.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/us/politics/15cnd-obama.html | title=Obama and McCain Duel over Iraq | newspaper=The New York Times | date=July 16, 2008 | last1=Broder | first1=John M. }}</ref> Early in his presidency, Obama moved to bolster U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan. He announced an increase in U.S. troop levels to 17,000 military personnel in February 2009 to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires."<ref>{{cite news |first = Amanda |last = Hodge |title = Obama launches Afghanistan Surge |date = February 19, 2009 |work = The Australian |location = Sydney |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/obama-launches-afghanistan-surge/story-e6frg6t6-1111118893671 }}</ref> He replaced the military commander in Afghanistan, General [[David D. McKiernan]], with former [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]] commander Lt. Gen. [[Stanley A. McChrystal]] in May 2009, indicating that McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.<ref name="counterinsurgency tactics" /> On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan and proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date;<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=December 1, 2009 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/34218604 |title=Obama details Afghan war plan, troop increases |work=NBC News }}</ref> this took place in July 2011. [[David Petraeus]] replaced McChrystal in June 2010, after McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/24/mcchrystal.gates.support/ |title = Gates says he agrees with Obama decision on McChrystal |publisher = CNN |date = June 24, 2010 |access-date = September 18, 2010 }}</ref> In February 2013, Obama said the U.S. military would reduce the troop level in Afghanistan from 68,000 to 34,000 U.S. troops by February 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last = Chandrasekaran |first = Rajiv |title = Obama wants to cut troop level in Afghanistan in half over next year |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/official-obama-to-cut-troop-level-in-afghanistan-in-half-by-next-year/2013/02/12/63a044c8-7536-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html |access-date = February 14, 2013 |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = February 12, 2013 }}</ref> In October 2015, the White House announced a plan to keep U.S. Forces in Afghanistan indefinitely in light of the deteriorating security situation.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34536833 |title = US troops in Afghanistan: Taliban resurgence sees rethink |publisher = BBC News |date = October 15, 2015 |access-date = October 15, 2015 |last = Marcus |first = Jonathan }}</ref>