As Donald Trump’s administration begins, Americans say their farewells to President Barack Obama. Many Americans thanked the president for his long service to the nation.
Many Americans will remember the killing of Osama Bin Laden as one of Obama’s crowning achievements.
In 2008 Obama promised to pull troops out of the Middle East, close Guantanamo Bay and stop the interventionist policies of President George Bush’s administration.
With two wars persisting in the Middle East, Obama vowed to bring peace back to the United States. Did Obama achieve his real national security goals?
Despite campaigning as the anti-war candidate, Obama was at war longer than any other president.
While Obama sought to decrease “military-style” weapons at home, he actively proliferated military weapons abroad.
The Obama administration sold more weapons to foreign entities than any administration since World War II. In 2016, the Congressional Research Service reported that, from 2008 to 2015, the majority of arms were sold to middle eastern countries. Saudi Arabia imported $94 billion of weapons from the United States.
The Saudi Arabian government committed various human rights violations throughout Obama’s administration. Recently, it led an airstrike in Yemen that killed dozens of innocent civilians.
Considering Obama’s own record of drone strikes in the Middle East, it is not surprising that he remained relatively silent about the human rights violations committed by Saudi Arabia.
In his tenure as president, Obama ordered 10 times the amount of airstrikes than his predecessor. According to a national intelligence report released this month, drone strikes during his administration killed upwards of 117 civilians.
However, the report excluded casualties in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, creating suspicion at the accuracy of the figure. The New York Times reported that estimates are closer to 391 civilians.
Much like his predecessor, Obama participated in interventionist policies in Libya and renewed the Patriot Act, the NSA’s mass surveillance program. Worst of all, after eight years of talk, Guantanamo Bay remains open.
As Obama leaves the White House, his administration’s long record of failed military intervention, arms proliferation and air strikes leaves a scathing mark on his alleged legacy of hope and change.
Tyler Grudi is a staff writer for the Bona Venture. His email is gruditj15@bonaventure
