THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY ★^1145the estimates of U.S. and Iraqi analysts,
hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, most
of them civilians, had died during this
eight- year conflict. The war had cost
the United States nearly $2 trillion, an
almost unimaginable sum. Whether
it would produce a stable, democratic
Iraq remained to be seen.
At the same time, Obama contin-
ued many of the policies of the Bush
administration. Obama dramatically
increased the American troop presence
in Afghanistan, while pledging to with-
draw American forces by the end of 2014
although he failed to meet this deadline.
Here again, the long- term outcome
remained uncertain, given the Taliban’s resurgence and the unpopularity of the
corruption- plagued American- backed Afghan government. Indeed, by 2012,
polls showed that a large majority of Americans felt the war was a mistake and
wanted it to end.
Like many of his predecessors, Obama found that criticizing presidential
power from outside is one thing, dismantling it another. He reversed his pre-
vious promise to abolish the military tribunals Bush had established and to
close the military prison at Guantánamo, Cuba. And in 2011 he signed a four-
year extension of key provisions of the USA Patriot Act originally passed under
Bush. In May 2011, to wide acclaim in the United States, Obama authorized
an armed raid into Pakistan that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden,
who had been hiding there for years. More controversially, Obama claimed
the right to order the assassination of American citizens in foreign countries
if evidence indicated their connection with terrorism. And in 2011 he sent the
air force to participate in a NATO campaign that assisted rebels who overthrew
Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi. But an endless civil war followed, not the
restoration of democracy. Obama did not seek congressional approval of the
action, deeming it unnecessary. In fact, throughout Obama’s presidency, Amer-
ican troops or planes were involved in combat as part of an expanded war on
terror not only in Afghanistan but also in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Amer-
ican Special Forces were involved in efforts to suppress the drug trade in Hon-
duras and Colombia.
In 2014, Obama abandoned the half- century- old policy of isolating Cuba,
and moved to resume diplomatic relations with the island nation. The policy
of isolation had long outlived its Cold War origins and had made the United
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe
Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and
other members of Obama’s national security
team receiving an update on the mission against
Osama bin Laden at the White House on May 1,
2011.What were the major challenges of Obama’s first term?