Interventionism in US foreign policy from Bush to Obama
This chapter considers the evolution of US policy and practice towards foreign military intervention under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and in terms of strategic intent finds no evidence of substantive change. Although the language of the ‘Global War on Terror’ has been replaced by one of a ‘transnational global conflict’ the underlying policy drivers remain the same: America’s security and related interests continue to shape its foreign policy and provide the justification for an exceptionalist interpretation of international law, to the disappointment of those who hoped Obama's election would usher in a new era of strengthened global norms. However, a change in US official thinking is evident in a greater appreciation of the limitations of certain forms of intervention, and in the emergence of alternative policy instruments to deliver US strategic objectives.
Understanding the Obama Administration’s Syria Policy
President Obama’s Syria policy and his decision not to intervene in Syria had long been criticized by the US political elites, scholars, and pundits. Most of the explanations of the US policy towards the Syrian civil war are based on realpolitik arguments. Realpolitik explanations of foreign policy analysis tend to overlook other key factors that play a vital role in foreign policy decision making processes. Therefore, these studies fail to explain Obama’s Syria policy adequately. This article aims to provide a more comprehensive explanation of Obama’s Syria policy. I argue that Obama’s Syria policy can be better explained by two other approaches: mass politics and psychological and cognitive approaches. After a thorough examination of relevant literature and President Obama’s interviews and speeches, I argue that President Obama chose not to intervene in Syria because US public opinion was extremely reluctant to send US troops to Syria, and there was not an effective interest group that could impact the public opinion and the administration’s policies. Further, President Obama’s beliefs and attitudes also played a vital role in determining his Syria policy. First, Obama’s fundamental beliefs shaped how he approached the Syrian crisis. Then, his interaction with several actors and crises affected his attitude towards Syria and how the situation should be handled. His speeches and interviews show that Libyan intervention affected his perceptions. Therefore, he did not implement the same option in the Syrian case. Likewise, Obama’s categorization of the Middle East leaders and threats affected his Syria policy. Last but not least, diplomatic encounters and his personal experience also played a role in determining his Syria policy.
Simulation and control of hybrid renewable energy system connected to the grid
This paper presents a control and simulation of hybrid renewable energy system connected to the grid. The studied system includes a photovoltaic panel, synchronous permanent magnet generator based wind turbine, and a battery for storage energy. The PV array and wind systems are connected to the common DC bus by a boost converter. The battery is connected by a bi-directional DC/DC converter, and then integrated into the AC utility grid via a common DC/AC inverter. In order to extract the maximum energy, a simulation study has been carried out according to the meteorological conditions (wind speed and variable solar irradiance) while maintaining power quality at a satisfactory level. In order to capture the maximum power, a MPPT algorithm is applied for both wind turbine and photovoltaic panel. The modeling and simulation of the whole system has been performed under Matlab/Simulink environment. The obtained results show that the current and the voltage of grid side are sinusoidal and alternative forms, and the power injected to the grid is around the power produced by the hybrid system.