Treading water when we shouldn't be

President Obama's first term mainly attended to domestic issues like the recession and healthcare. I supported his reelection, but aside from killing Osama bin Laden the Obama administration accomplished little in foreign affairs during four years.

• Afghanistan: we're still there, although we say we are leaving.
• Syria: the civil war continues.
• Iran: they are still developing a nuclear capability. Economic sanctions are hurting the people, but there's little indication that sanctions have hindered the nuclear program.
• the Arab spring: we could and should have been out front to help. Instead we were perceived as disinterested and timid.
• Mexico: there is no progress on immigration. Meanwhile, Mexican drug lords with a propensity for extreme violence have flourished by virtue of sales and production in the USA.
• Palestine: status quo.
• Cuba: status quo while we wait for Castro to die.
• Venezuela: status quo while we wait for Chavez to die.
• North Korea: status quo, but Kim Jong-il did die.

This record of inaction also reflects poorly on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive nominee of the Democrats for President in 2016. Americans deserve better.