"Mr Obama is no nation-builder. As the years passed he became coldly pragmatic about working with far-from-democratic leaders. He is intently focused on American national interests. Mr Obama broods about possible unintended consequences when he hears calls to intervene. His focus on domestic politics makes him wary of putting American boots on the ground. He has issued strict executive orders about avoiding civilian casualties. But he is no pacifist. Mr Obama is willing to order enemies killed, whether by drone strikes, special forces, local allies or ideally a combination of all three. [..] A whiteboard bears the label “Open Strike Requests”. [..] Mr Obama’s military doctrine is already unsentimental. In that, the two men may be more similar than they care to admit."
