President Obama stressed patience Wednesday with his administration’s foreign policy, saying that it’s alive and well but will take some time to unfold.
“We live in a complex world and at a challenging time,” Mr. Obama said during a late afternoon press conference in the White House press briefing room. “None of these challenges lend themselves to quick or easy solutions, but all of them require American leadership. And as commander in chief, I’m confident that, if we stay patient and determined, that we will, in fact, meet these challenges.”
The Obama administration has been hit particularly hard by foreign policy critics who say little has been done to squash the rising violence in Iraq — and the caliphate visions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — or to deal properly with Syria’s internal chaos.
Republicans and Democrats alike have condemned the president’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine situation, and, most recently, the White House’s perceived soft support of Israel as Hamas repeatedly slams the Jewish nation with rocket fire.
Still, Mr. Obama said that his administration has made “real progress” in nuclear talks with Iran.
“It’s clear to me that we’ve made real progress in several areas, and we have a credible way forward,” he said, though he admitted that “some significant gaps” remain between what Tehran wants and what the international community wants.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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