Ben Rhodes discusses the foreign policy of the Obama administration, in which he served as deputy national security advisor for strategic communications from 2009 to 2017. Rhodes describes the development and refinement of the administration's approach to major foreign policy issues and provides details about notable events, initiatives, and policies with which he was closely involved, including th e normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba, the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, the administration's responses to the protests of the Arab Spring, the NATO-led military intervention in Libya, the rise of ISIS, and the rebalance of diplomatic focus from the Middle East to Asia. Rhodes also reflects on the importance of language to the administration's foreign policy, and discusses major foreign policy speeches, including those delivered by Obama in Prague, Cairo, Ghana, Hiroshima, at Nelson Mandela's memorial service, and in receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize. Also discussed are the differences between the foreign policy of the first and second terms of the Obama presidency, the Afghanistan policy review, the administration's response to the Russian annexation of Crimea, the Paris Climate Accords, the domestic politics of foreign policy, and Rhodes' role among the policy advisory staff of the Obama 2008 campaign
Presidents--United States; Arab Spring, 2010-; Presidential campaigns--United States; Crimea (Ukraine) History 2014-; Crimea (Ukraine) Annexation to Russia (Federation); United States Foreign relations Cuba; United States Foreign relations Asia; Libya History Civil War, 2011-; Rhodes, Ben, 1977-; Obama, Barack; IS (Organization); Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015 July 14); United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992 May 9); Protocols, etc. (2015 December 12)
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
224 pages
Note (Biographical)
Ben Rhodes served as deputy national security advisor for strategic communications during the entirety of President Obama's presidency. Previously, he served as senior speechwriter and foreign policy advisor on Obama's presidential campaign. Before jo ining the Obama campaign, he worked for former Congressman Lee Hamilton on the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group
Note
Interviewed by Evan D. McCormick on February 27, April 24, July 20, and December 11, 2020, and March 2, 2021. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Ben Rhodes, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022