What has Obama done right related to foreign policy?
I have to agree with some of the points in the article. The administration has sent some confusing signals to her allies, and shown outright disloyalty to some. The way Syria and Ukraine have been handled is very reminiscent to me of the Carter Administration.That said, many of his missteps result from slipping in the crap that the Bush Administration showered everywhere during it's eight glorious years. The US is understandably war wearing, having fought in Iraq at great cost and unnecessarily. This means there have been situations where the US perhaps should have a more active role, but simply can't in it's current state.Syria was handled clumsily, but the usual "bombing for peace" efforts were at least avoided. Iraq and Afghanistan are de-escalated. Obama's direct intervention to aid Haiti is a shining example of what America can achieve in the world when working for the good, and stands in stark relief to Bush's inaction for New Orleans after Katrina.The recent bolstering of commitments to NATO after Ukraine, and the strategic shift to support allies in Asia is wise and nods to the realpolitik of the coming world order where the numbers of people and resources are the main factor again in determining influence.Constant harassment of Al Queda via drone strikes have severely hampered the organization, and putting OBL out of the game was appropriate.To end the administration in glory, Obama should capitalize on the momentum created by Snowden by bringing surveillance back under the rule of law and in keeping with the spirit of the constitution. America should not be promoting the tools of Totalitarianism through mass surveillance of the whole world. Angela Merkel may have been annoyed her phone was tapped, but the other 300 million Europeans weren't exactly thrilled either. Politically difficult to achieve, as rolling back the apparatus would bring charges from the right of weakness and giving havens to the bad guys. However it's the right thing to do, and would reverse one of the major own goals (against the American Way) of the Bush Administration.
What was power for the crusades? How did they achieve it?
Muslim armies had conquered much of northern Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Spain, which had been some of the most heavily Christian areas in the world. Thousands, and possibly millions, of Christians died during this drive to eventually bring the entire world under Islam. The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to check the advance of the Muslims and regain control of the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. I am sure that some atrocities were committed by both sides during this war but by most people's judgment this was a just war. With love in Christ.