AMES, Iowa - As the nation and world react to the recent announcement by President Obama about the death of Osama bin Laden, Iowa State University experts can provide perspective on various aspects of the news.
Foreign policy ramifications:
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• James McCormick, professor and chair of political science, 515-294-8682, jmmcc@iastate.edu. McCormick recently completed a comprehensive assessment of President Obama's foreign policy efforts thus far for a forthcoming book, tentatively titled "The 'Big Bang' Presidency" and edited by Steven Schier. He is also an author and editor of 10 books on U.S. foreign policy, including "American Foreign Policy and Process" (5th edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 2010).
"I think that the news should be greeted positively in the Muslim world, especially if the administration continues to emphasize that the attack on bin Laden was not against Muslims -- as President Obama did in his speech last night," McCormick said. "After all, Muslims have been killed in various bombings by al-Qaeda and its network.
"This action will have a very positive effect on President
Obama's foreign policy profile," he continued.
"Unlike the characterization of his Libyan policy --
'leading from behind'
-- this suggests that the U.S. can and will lead. This will get
a positive response from the American public and, I suspect,
from many publics around the world."
Historic foreign policy implications:
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• Charles Dobbs, professor of history, 515-294-1373, or cdobbs@iastate.edu. Dobbs' research and teaching interests include American diplomatic and military history. He is the author of three books, including "The Unwanted Symbol: American Foreign Policy, the Cold War and Korea, 1942-1950."
"If the 'War on Terrorism' or the 'Global War on Terrorism,' which President Bush coined, is an appropriate phrase, this is not a conventional war in any sense," Dobbs said. "This is not equivalent to the Soviet capture of Berlin in spring 1945. This is not equivalent to Grant's capture of Richmond in April 1865.
"More important is the situation in the Arab world," he continued. "The United States, in the interest of stability, dealt with and supported regimes which were clearly not democratic -- e.g., Hosni Mubarak in Egypt -- which means against the interest of the Arab peoples. The future in these places -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Yemen, Syria, etc. -- is far more than the killing and disposal of bin Laden."
Political ramifications:
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• Steffen Schmidt, University Professor of political science, 515-294-3825, 515-290-9804 (c), sws@iastate.edu. Schmidt's a frequent national media expert on presidential politics and is a featured political blogger for The Des Moines Register. He is the lead author of the country's most widely adopted introductory college textbook, "American Government and Politics Today" (18th Edition, Wadsworth Publishing).
"The death of Osama Bin Laden is another in a string of 'good news' events for President Barack Obama as he launches his bid for a second term in office," Schmidt said. "While not affecting the threat of terrorism in a significant way, it is an enormously important symbolic victory for American security forces and as their commander (Obama). It would be almost impossible for Donald Trump and other GOP presidential contenders to undermine or criticize the president -- at least for the short term -- since it would undermine the leader of the country at a moment when patriotism has resurged in the form of demonstrations and public displays of patriotism all over the United States.
"This comes on the heels of the release of Obama's full birth certificate, which has effectively closed one strategic thrust the GOP and conservatives had used to undermine him," he continued. "The death of bin Laden puts to final rest the innuendo that Obama would be soft on terrorists, war, and that he is a closet Muslim."
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• Dave Peterson, associate professor of political science, 515-294-9306, 515-509-6345 (c), daveamp@iastate.edu. Peterson has studied voter behavior and is a co-author of two books: "Mandate Politics" (2007, Cambridge University Press) and "Religious Institutions and Minor Parties in the United States" (1999, Praeger Press).
"My sense is that this doesn't change a whole lot for 2012," Peterson said. "President Obama has been popular for his handling of the War on Terror and it isn't something that any of the potential candidates have as an area of strength. My guess is that the GOP nominee will not talk about it much -- and wouldn't have without some major event. Plus, as details come out, it looks like a lot of the efforts began before Obama took office, so the GOP can talk about how this is a continuation of Bush's efforts.
"By November of 2012, this will be in the distant past for most voters' memories and the more immediate concerns of the economy and the future of Medicare will be the key topics of the election," he said.
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• Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, 515-294-4185, 515-451-5084 (c), dbystrom@iastate.edu. Bystrom is a co-author, co-editor and contributor to 13 books on politics, including "Communicating Politics" (2005).
"With the 2012 presidential election some 18 months away, it is too early to tell how the death of Osama bin Laden will impact the results," Bystrom said. "The death of bin Laden under President Obama's watch will have the immediate impact of improving his poll numbers, and also will complicate the Republican narrative that President Obama is weak on national security issues.
"Among the Republican presidential hopefuls, the death of bin Laden may strengthen the candidacies of those who have a broader message -- such as Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney, who were among the few Republican hopefuls to praise President Obama in their reaction to the death of bin Laden," she continued. "However, in the end, the 2012 presidential election is more likely to turn on domestic issues -- such as unemployment and gas prices -- than the death of Osama bin Laden."