US Middle East policy in Obama{u2019}s second term/ Juan R.I. Cole.

"This publication is based on a lecture presented on February 19, 2013"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references: 27-30.

"President Barack Obama has announced his intention of completing his military disengagement from the Middle East by winding down the Afghanistan War and withdrawing most or possibly all US troops from that country by the end of 2014. After the first decade of the 21st century, in which the United States was, for good or ill, a transformative force in Middle Eastern politics, Obama has set a much more cautious and pragmatic course for the second decade. His administration will continue to pressure Iran diplomatically and economically, but key cabinet officers have cast doubt on the utility of striking that country. Washington has signaled that it wants to avoid a military entanglement in Syria. In the first Obama administration, it announced a policy of pivoting toward Asia, and put many of its diplomatic efforts into Pacific Rim relationships. Even if this policy is moderated in the second term, Asia will certainly bulk large."--Introduction.