The perception that President Obama has backed an Iranian power play has spurred a rise in radicalism. Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argued that Obama’s policies in regard to the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear negotiation are ‘tragically flawed.’
"He thinks there is an opportunity here to turn Iran from being our enemy into being our friend," Boot said.
The Obama administration has taken a different approach when it comes to its policy on the Middle East. The U.S. has withdrawn much of its military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, evacuated the embassy in Yemen, and refused direct involvement in the Syrian civil war and the Libya conflict.
As the U.S. tries to reach a deal with Iran, it has raised concerns of other Middle East countries. Their concern is the growing Iranian influence in the entire Middle East region. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have prepared military actions in Yemen to prevent Iran backed rebels from taking over the country. Radicalism is also being fueled by this perception of Iran expanding their power.
Boot has said the fall out of the president’s policies has resulted in a "violent" and "dangerous" situation.
"Unfortunately, we've seen in the last few years President Obama has been trying to do just that—and the result is not a sudden outbreak of peace and people getting along and singing ‘Kumbaya,’" Boot said. "The result is a rise of radicalism, with terrorist state from [the Islamic State], the result is a rise of Iranian dominance of influence in Syria and Iraq as well as Yemen."