Obama Says Threats to U.S. Security Will Take Years to Resolve

[steven36]

(Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said the U.S. is confronting national security threats from violent extremism to Russian aggression that will take years to resolve.

The president’s approach is described in his National Security Strategy, a 33-page document to be released on Friday that offers a counterpoint to Republicans who say Obama has been too slow and timid in confronting global challenges.

Obama said the U.S. is shifting its focus beyond ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to combat extremism, terrorism, cyber attacks, Russian aggression, infectious-disease outbreaks, climate change and more.

“Many of the security problems we face do not lend themselves to quick and easy fixes,” Obama said in a two-page memo accompanying the report.

The strategy document, Obama’s first since 2010, is intended to serve as a guide for the federal government on policy priorities and how to achieve them.

The document was obtained by Bloomberg News in advance of its scheduled release at 10 a.m. in Washington. National Security Adviser Susan Rice will discuss the strategy on Friday at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Much of the congressionally mandated report is familiar rhetoric, some of which is recycled from Obama’s Jan. 20 State of the Union address, concerning U.S. economic strength, political leadership and democratic values.

The report is a departure from the president’s 2010 strategy, which cited reviving the U.S. economy as crucial to national security.

Broader Challenges

This year’s plan outlines the challenges that have emerged since then, including the rise of the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and Syria, escalating friction between China and U.S. allies in Asia, and Russia’s annexation of Crimea and continued support for separatist rebels in Ukraine.

“We have to make hard choices among many competing priorities, and we must always resist the overreach that comes when we make decisions based upon fear,” Obama wrote.

Republicans and some Democrats in Congress have criticized Obama’s approach as weak in combating Islamic State, countering Russian aggression in Ukraine and seeking a halt to Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program.

Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has said the administration has no plan viable plan to defeat Islamic State and should have provided weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian-backed rebels.

Nuclear Threat

The report singles out the potential use of nuclear weapons the gravest security danger, saying there must be “a comprehensive and verifiable deal” with Iran to curb its nuclear program. The report doesn’t rule out military force if a deal isn’t reached.

The strategy criticizes “Russian aggression” against Ukraine and vows to “continue to impose significant costs on Russia through sanctions and other means.”

While welcoming “the rise of a stable, peaceful and prosperous China,” the strategy says the U.S. will “manage competition from a position of strength while insisting that China uphold international rules and norms on issues ranging from maritime security to trade and human rights.”

The strategy calls for modernizing’’ U.S. alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines and strengthening regional security and trade institutions.

“This is an ambitious agenda, and not everything will be completed during my presidency,” Obama said in his memo. “But I believe this is an achievable agenda, especially if we proceed with confidence and if we restore the bipartisan center that has been a pillar of strength for American foreign policy in decades past.”

Source

[flitox]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-03/another-conspiracy-theory-becomes-fact-entire-oil-collapse-all-about-crushing-russia

[flash48]

My Advice to Obama is close the border with Mexico and stop cutting the Defense Budget.

[Ballistic Gelatin]

It would've taken the late Ronald Reagan about five minutes and a couple of phone calls to resolve the threats to our security interests.

Our Waffler-in-Chief lives in a different galaxy, so it's understandable why he doesn't have a clue how to fight back.

[truemate]

just dont poke ur f.....ing long jealous nose in each every countries personnel matter's... problem solved.

[humble3d]