Obama’s reticence has robbed Secretary of State John Kerry, who is valiantly trying to negotiate a lasting Syrian cease-fire, of leverage. Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton’s secretary of state, agrees that we can do more, like set up safe zones. And Obama’s dithering has had a real cost, for any steps in Syria are far more complex now that Russia is in the war. I admire Obama for expanding health care and averting a nuclear crisis with Iran, but allowing Syria’s civil war and suffering to drag on unchallenged has been his worst mistake, casting a shadow over his legacy. While caution within Syria is understandable, Obama’s lack of public global leadership in pushing to help its refugees who are swamping Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey is harder to explain.

Source: New York Times August 11, 2016 07:18 UTC