Legacy at risk, Obama struggles to redefine foreign policy

The best outcome Obama can hope for may be for Moscow to refrain from taking over more of eastern Ukraine, which might be a credit to the impact of U.S.-led sanctions but hardly an accomplishment of historic proportions for his second term.
The image of Obama as a passive world leader has been fed by perceptions he has allowed the civil war in Syria to fester. His failure to strike Syrian forces last year after they crossed a U.S. "red line" on the use of chemical weapons left doubts about Obama’s willingness to use force in other world crises.
Though Obama used his speech to graduating cadets at West Point on Wednesday to announce increased support for Syrian rebels, he made clear U.S. involvement would remain limited.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/30/us-usa-obama-foreign-analysis-idUSKBN0EA01P20140530