U.S. Middle East Policy Under The "Smart Power" Diplomacy Strategy Of Obama's Administration

On January 20,2009, Barack Hussein Obama Jr. became the new president of the United States. After Obama's administration took offices, the U. S. has incrementally implemented the so-called "smart power" diplomacy strategy, which bases on the following three main parts as healing diplomacy, contacting diplomacy and cooperating diplomacy.The "smart power" diplomacy strategy reflects the principle contradiction between the controversial diplomacy approaches adopted by the former George. W. Bush administration and the realistic domestic situation in the U.S.. Besides, this article also give weight to the effects on the strength of emerging countries, the intensification of non-traditional security threats and the deterioration of U.S.-Russian and U.S.-European relationships, which to a large extent, lead to the rise of the "smart power" strategy. However, the aim of preserving the supremacy position of U. S. in the international affairs has not been changed.Admittedly, Obama's administration gives top priority to addressing the Middle East issues in its foreign policy, especially place emphasis on using diplomatic means in handling the Middle East problems, and encouraging regional powers and the rest of the countries to cooperate with the United States. Specifically, Obama's administration is confronted with the following major tasks, pursuing the channels for dialogues and exchanges with the Middle East Islamic groups; solving the Iraq issue as soon as possible and withdrawing troops in three steps; regarding Iran as the potential strategic threat, but engaging with flexible policies; promoting peace talks between Palestine and Israel.However, after more than half of Obama's presidency, his Middle East policies were far short of expectations due to the constraints on the various U.S. domestic interest groups, different concerns over the Middle East countries, the structural power changes in the Middle East region and the multiple levels of the international strategic structure.