U.S. President Barack Obama has long emphasized the necessity of getting his country's house in order if it is to play the global role that it sees as appropriate. That focus explains his seeming preoccupation with domestic issues. In his mind, domestic reform is the crucial stepping stone to a credible and sustainable foreign policy. That logic animates the National Security Strategy (NSS) that Mr. Obama unveiled May 27.
While demonstrating more continuity with previous strategies than his supporters would like — or his detractors will credit — the new NSS is remarkable for its emphasis on domestic policy in the creation of viable strategy.
By law, every U.S. administration is required to articulate a National Security Strategy. Not surprisingly, the last two such documents, released in 2002 and 2006, put the fight against terrorism at the core: The 2006 edition began with the declaration that "America is at war." Instead, Mr. Obama's analysis concludes that the fight against radical extremism is "only one element of our strategic environment."