The Annual Review of the Presidency has been an IGS tradition since 1981. Sponsored by the Matsui Center, the series brings together a panel of distinguished writers, academics, politicians, and policymakers to analyze the Presidential performance of the past year.
Past Events
With President Obama serving his final year in office and the campaign to replace him unfolding before us, we will examine the legacy of the Obama years and the ways in which his presidency has influenced the race to replace him. What has the Obama presidency meant to the country? Was his tenure a historic achievement in...
Midway through his second term, has President Obama found new political life? Has a recovering economy freed him to pursue a more activist agenda aimed at the middle class, including a higher minimum wage, tuition-free community college, and additional taxes on the wealthy? Or is the President’s opportunity to influence...
President Obama has governed during a turbulent era in American foreign policy. The Obama Administration has dealt with the winding down of war in Iraq, the escalation of war in Afghanistan, the continued campaign against terrorism, the convulsions of the Arab Spring and Syria, the tensions of a frayed relationship with...
A panel of experts analyzes President Obama's re-election victory, and the prospects for his second term in the White House. The President won a clear but narrow victory, carrying fewer states and receiving a lower share of the popular vote than he did in 2008. At the same time voters stuck with the status quo in Congress...