WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he worries there is a perception of the United States “disengaging” from global affairs.
Gates also once headed the CIA. He says he recognizes the ocean-to-ocean diplomacy the Obama administration has been carrying out in the Mideast and Eastern Europe and other world hot spots like Africa.
Yet he says, quote, “I think there is a perception around the world of the United States as disengaging.”
Gates tells CBS News he thinks more focus needs to be given to longer-term, over short-term, solutions for world crises, with the aim of preventing a recurrence.
He attributes the impression of disengagement to the fact that the U.S. has ended or is withdrawing from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in which there is no clear American victory.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
