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Obama Speech Suggests Modest Foreign Agenda for Second Term

Judging from his comments in his second inaugural address, Barack Obama’s foreign policy over the next four years will not be particularly ambitious, including in the Middle East.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his inaugural address during inauguration ceremonies in Washington, January 21, 2013. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES  - Tags: POLITICS)

If President Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda for his second term can be measured by the time devoted to the topic in his inaugural address, there is little reason to expect bold action.

The focus of the president’s speech was domestic — a pep talk to a nation still recovering from economic crisis and winding down a war begun by Obama’s predecessor in Afghanistan.

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