A scapegoat for a lame duck president

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has resigned, becoming the first victim of the Democrats' loss in the mid-term election. President Barack Obama, many believe, thinks it's time to revamp his national security, especially because after assuming office in 2009, he has been reluctant to use the armed forces in resolving any crisis. Even Russia's handling of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia crisis in 2008 did not prevent Obama from "resetting" Washington's relations with Moscow after he entered the White House.

Given the pressure from the Senate not to be militarily involved in Libya in 2011, he withdrew US forces two days after launching air attacks on Muammar Gaddafi's army. And despite the Iranian nuclear issue dragging on for about a decade, Obama refused to push the envelope and, instead, opted for negotiations. Besides, he has responded very cautiously to the Syrian crisis.

The same logic explains the lack of effective US diplomacy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis and Obama's unwillingness to send US combat troops back to Iraq to take on the Islamic State.