Obama faces fire

Obama's War, a controversial new book by US investigative reporter Bob Woodward, reveals bitter battles between Obama and top US generals. Obama's views on development aid, which he explained at the recent UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, have also put him in the spotlight. We look at media comment on these issues.

Obama's wars

Obama's War by Bob Woodward is expected to reopen the debate on strategy in Afghanistan. But this is not the only Bush legacy Obama has to handle with care, writes The Guardian.

Barack Obama inherited both the war in Afghanistan and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Now he tells critics, somewhat late in the day, that a Republican president's response to resurgent Taliban and bankrupt bankers would have been worse. True, but that does not mean that his response to both — a troop surge in Afghanistan and an inadequate stimulus package — were the right ones. It does, however, mean his ownership has been indisputably stamped on each of the worst legacies of the Bush era. Telling left-wingers to get real is beside the point. Obama first has to prove that these policies work, first and foremost because they are now his. ...

A good development

Rich nations such as the US, Italy, Gemany and Japan have not contributed enough to development aid, but Barack Obama's speech at the recent UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals made good sense, writes The New York Times.

... He said the United States would still be a major donor but would put new emphasis on using all of its tools — including trade and export credits — to help poor countries get to the point where they don’t need assistance. He also, rightly, promised to hold recipient countries accountable for improving governance and combating corruption and to be “more selective and focus our efforts where we have the best partners and where we can have the greatest impact.” That, too, is essential.

The meager progress on the so-called Millennium Development Goals underscores why more effective aid is so important but also why more money is needed. ...