"Light Footprint"

With the conflict going on in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, I was wondering in what ways the US was involved.  I read this article that focused on Obama's strategy on approaching he Middle East.  His plan was referred to as a "Light Footprint".

Light Footprint is a strategy that involves "a mix of remote-control technology and at-a-distance diplomacy to contain the most explosive problems in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa."  This seems like a very good plan because troops do not have to go to the Middle East and fight.

There were also "Strikes by unmanned drone aircraft increased sixfold, secret cyberweapons were aimed at Iran, and special forces killed the world’s most-wanted terrorist and made night raids the currency of American force."  This strategy worked for a while; however, with the recent events in Syria and Iran, it seems like Obama is going to have to change his strategy.

I started thinking about how difficult it must be as the President to decide when troops' services are necessary.  Although the president is making a strong push to take troops out of many countries, at what point does this become unfeasible?

Obviously no one wants US troops to die, but what if pulling out troops or being reluctant to import troops leads to even more deaths for native citizens of that country, especially if it is our ally.  Obama faces a tough decision on how to handle the crisis in the Middle East, but he has to think about the ramifications of importing troops.  The president has the job of deciding what to do, but he is going to have to eventually change his strategy if he cannot negotiate with the leaders of Iran.

Do you think that it is better to pull out troops according to plan, even if it may jeopardize the lives of that country's citizens?  And at this time, what do you think would be the best approach to the Middle Eastern crisis?  Leave comments below.