National Security Shuffle May Signal More Activist Stance

President Obama’s “major shuffle of his national security team” ushers out a cautious Washington insider and elevates “two long-time proponents of a larger American role in preventing humanitarian crises and protecting human rights,” the Washington Post reports.

“The ideological shift signaled by the choices highlights a central dilemma for Obama as he seeks to make a mark on the world at a time of austerity — and war weariness — at home. How ambitious Obama intends to be abroad at a time of stiff challenges on the domestic front has remained an open question well into his second term.”