# Why did Obama issue a "stand down" order of counter-cyber activities targeted at Russia?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-obama-issue-a-stand-down-order-of-counter-cyber-activities-targeted-at-russia/818217>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 19, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-obama-issue-a-stand-down-order-of-counter-cyber-activities-targeted-at-russia/818217 "2018-07-19T18:20:07Z")\
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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-obama-issue-a-stand-down-order-of-counter-cyber-activities-targeted-at-russia/818217/24 "2018-07-20T18:22:42Z")

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> [@Iggy](#):
>
> Perhaps because Obama had the flexibility to direct foreign policy decisions as president?

This.

As President, Obama has a legitimate role (in concert with Congress) in determining what United States’ foreign policy should be, and also the ultimate role in weighing and balancing competing harms and arriving at a compromise.

Obama had, in other words, every right to say, “This is bad, but upsetting the apple cart would be worse,” and issuing the direction in question.

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