|
Two years after an historic victory that saw the first African-American elected president of the US, Barack Obama has come under pressure. The nation's love affair with "Yes, We Can" was short lived, and it was not long before the chant turned to delivery rather than promise.
With crises at home dominating the agenda, what happened to Obama's promise of a new dawn in US-world relations?
With ongoing occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, proxy wars in Pakistan and Yemen, volatile relations with Iran, or the floundering Middle East peace process; how has the man who offered the Muslim world a new beginning handled the burning issues on the international stage? Is the US's global supremacy coming to an end?
Joining us as our guests: Roger Hodge, the author of Mendacity of Hope: Barack Obama and the Betrayal of American Liberalism; Dr Stefan Halper, the former foreign policy advisor to the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations; Ralph Nader, an independent presidential candidate; As'ad Abu Khalil, the founder of the Angry Arab news blog.
Interviewees: Jeremy Scahill, the national security correspondent at The Nation; and Matt Hoh, a former Marine Captain.
This episode of Empire was recorded on January 21, and aired from Monday, January 31, 2011.
|