Pres. Obama Defends Reluctance on Military Force

President Barack Obama is declaring American isolationism is not an option and used his speech at West Point Academy's commencement ceremony Wednesday to give a broad defense of his foreign policy.

His policies have faced intense criticism after a series of crises, from the Middle East to Asia. Six years into his presidency, Obama says America must continue to be the leader on the world stage.

"Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail," he told West Point graduates. "Military action cannot be the only or even the primary component of our leadership in every instance."

Is the president's plan too passive? Regent University Vice President Dr. Paul Bonicelli, an expert on foreign policy, answered this question and more on CBN Newswatch, May 28.

Obama laid out again a foreign policy doctrine he believes must be rooted in diplomacy rather than always resorting to military intervention.

"I would betray my duty to you, and to the country we love, if I sent you into harm's way simply because I saw a problem somewhere in the world that needed fixing or because I was worried about critics who think military intervention is the only way for America to avoid looking weak," he said.

But critics say America has lost influence under this passive doctrine and that the president's indecisions on major crises like in Syria, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and China, among others, have left the country weak.

A recent poll shows 59 percent disapprove of Obama's handling of foreign policy.

His commencement address comes a day after he announced plans to draw down U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan.

Currently some 32,000 American troops are on the ground. That will be reduced to 9,800 by the end of this year, with a projected 5,000 in place by the end of 2015. By 2016, all troops will be out of Afghanistan, except for embassy personnel.

This has been America's longest war. But is it ending in victory?

"I think it's ending in the best thing you can do, which is to give the Afghans the opportunity to decide their own future. This is their own country they must have to want to fight for it. They have to be prepared to fight for it," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

But top Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., say the president's decision to withdraw troops will only embolden the enemy.

"The Taliban and al-Qaeda will welcome this decision. The Afghans who fought alongside us will be devastated," Graham tweeted.

The president's West Point address is the first in a series of foreign policy speeches he's expected to give in the aftermath of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.