Jeffrey Goldberg goes in-depth about President Obama's Foreign Policy
WASHINGTON (CBS News) - This week on Face the Nation, we spoke with Jeffrey Goldberg about his piece, "The Obama Doctrine," which appears in the April edition of The Atlantic. Through extensive interviews with President Obama, and members of the Obama Administration, Goldberg outlines Obama's foreign policy, his complicated relationship with the Middle East and Russia and the hope that he has for emerging countries in Asia and Latin America.
In this Face the Nation Web Extra, host John Dickerson, speaks with Goldberg about Obama's approach and reaction to the Middle East, which Goldberg describes as a "desire to disengage," yet the president keeps getting pulled back in.
"There are three exports from the Middle East right now, that matter" Goldberg explains, "oil, terrorism and refugees." According to Goldberg, the U.S. has become more energy independent and oil does not matter as much. However, Goldberg states that terrorism continues to draw the U.S. back into the Middle East quagmire.
"Terrorism is the main problem," Goldberg says and adds, "If you don't control it there, then it's going to come here."
During the interview John Dickerson asks Goldberg about the response critics have to Obama's approach to terrorism, saying that the president does not believe that terrorism is as much of a threat that people say.
Goldberg asserts that Obama is a "rational guy" and understands that "terrorism is designed to terrorize." Goldberg also explains the internal argument that takes place inside the Obama administration between writing off the fear-mongers and taking into consideration their legitimate fears.
When John Dickerson asks Goldberg to describe Obama's general attitude towards the Middle East Goldberg explains that Obama, "sees the Middle East as a place of problems."
"I don't think the president looks at the Middle East anymore and sees good guys and bad guys," Goldberg says, "he sees not so good guys, pretty bad guys, very awful people." In contrast Goldberg explains that the president looks at Asia as "a land of opportunity."
With regards to Russia, Goldberg insists that Obama sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a declining leader" of a "declining power." According to Goldberg, Obama views Russia as "a regional power." Instead Goldberg says that he sees China's rise and a potential fallout from that as a much bigger national security problem.
Finally, Goldberg spoke about the legacy Obama wishes to leave behind as he prepares to leave the White House.
"He's a guy that thinks about what people are going to think of him 20 years from now." Goldberg says and adds that during Obama's last year in office, "he's going to tell the people the truth and overtime they'll understand that it's the truth."