What a breath of fresh air for U.S. foreign policy yesterday was.

For too long have we heard people drone on about how the U.S. is nearing the end of her time in being able to help the world, how we are stretched too thin, and how we really aren’t that exceptional.

For months there has been a consensus building that what the U.S. must do is isolate herself from the world and ignore any issue abroad, no more meddling.

President Obama came out to the United Nations General Assembly and told them no, the U.S. is still here to help the world.

And what a case he laid out for it.

To start off, Obama made two huge foreign policy decisions that should excite those who wish to avoid confrontation. We have not only accepted the Russian proposed peace deal with Syria, but we are not in talks with trying to get Iran to stop weaponizing their nuclear arms.

This is a huge development for U.S. foreign relations; we are finally giving peace a chance and letting diplomacy take the reigns. Which is why Obama’s argument for the U.S. helping lead in international issues became all the more convincing.

Obama calls for American exceptionalism were best described when he said, “…we have shown a willingness through the sacrifice of blood and treasure to stand up not only for our own narrow self-interest but for the interests of all.”

That’s what really helps sell it all for me and reminds others why we are involved in international issues far from home.

We fight wars and make deals with others not only to help ourselves, but also because sometimes the right thing to do is to go and do these things when no one else will.

Looking at Syria we can see it best, without the U.S. there would have been no consequences for Bashir Assad’s gassing of his own people, something the U.N. has even said was his doing. Having the U.S. there to pressure him got the attacks to not only stop, but for the entire system to end.

I look forward to seeing what other changes in foreign policy Obama has lined up for the Middle East, because this recent diplomacy route seems to be working very well.