John Kerry's faith in diplomacy led to huge gains for environment and internationalism, but it also led to big failures in Middle East.
Despite a good deal of skepticism as incoming Secretary of State, John Kerry threw himself into the job to mixed results. His ambitions for peace in the Middle East weren't just thwarted; he leaves with the two-state solution looking as endangered as ever, and his appeals for military interventions in Syria went unheeded by a president (and public) wary of foreign entanglements. Things that did go right for the 2004 runner-up:
1) His contributions to the Iran nuclear deal, which he has lauded as proof of the power of diplomacy.
2) When asked for the achievements he took most pride in, he named the Iran deal, the opening of Cuba, the global response to Ebola, and the winding down of military action in Afghanistan.
3) He also vigorously re-established American leadership on oceans issues and proved a reliable leader on climate change.
His successes were often due to tireless networking. "Kerry has approached foreign policy crises with a relentlessness and a personal touch more common in retail politicians than diplomats." Yet his faith in bringing unsavory characters to the bargaining table was perhaps also his greatest flaw, contributing to "Hail Mary" strategies abroad when the United States might have cut its losses.
