Commentary: A swansong for Obama's unfinished foreign policy legacy

"Welcome to Obama's Neverland," said U.S. Magazine National Review ahead of the U.S. president's final State of the Union address.

It's not funny, at all. Tuesday's swansong for Barack Obama's presidency was not well impressed, other than his lofty rhetoric -- "The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth."

In his nearly one-hour lengthy address, the president touted the progress made on foreign policy issues and tried to offer a hopeful outlook for America's future. But he avoided a detailed to-do list.

People may not forget that when Obama came to the White House with a promise of "change" seven years ago, there were high expectations both at home and abroad. But a closer look at Obama's boasted achievements of foreign policy issues will easily reveal that many of them will still be unfinished when he leaves office.

First are the two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Obama vowed to end when taking office in 2009. Then are the efforts towards a peace process between Israel and Palestine.

But the fact is that the Obama administration has not only delayed troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, but also sent more soldiers to Iraq.

Having promised "A New Beginning" for the United States and the Middle East, Obama turned out to see a more troubled Middle East -- a fallen society, endless conflicts, countless refugees, rise of the Islamic State, and a neglected peace process.

On the one hand, the United States wants to impose a U.S.-style democracy on the Middle East, only to find that the attempt has backfired. On the other, Washington's battle against terrorism there is largely to protect its own interest.

"Our foreign policy must be focused on the threat from ISIL and al Qaeda, but it can't stop there," said Obama in the address, calling on Congress to authorize the use of military force against ISIS.

However, it is worth noting that military actions will not root out terrorists unless the White House reorients its foreign policy and military strategy.

Asia and the Pacific are also the priorities of Obama's foreign policy.

Obama has been pushing for a U.S. pivot to the Asia-Pacific. In the address, he also listed multilateral FTA pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as his legacy.

Despite the Obama Administration's claim that the Asia-pivot will be a forceful reassertion of American power in a strategic part of the world and a deliberate reassurance to U.S. allies, some U.S. scholars and media said the endeavor is "more smoke than firepower."

In addition, in terms of the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. move to normalize relations with Cuba, and the landmark Paris climate change agreement, if Obama fails to win approval from Congress, these legacy may drag for years before making any real difference.

"China" is also a high-frequency word in Obama's State of the Union address.

It is known that the Obama administration has called U.S.-China relations the most important bilateral relationship in the world and crucial to solving many of the world's crises.

During Obama's presidency, China and the United States have agreed to work together on building a new type of major-country relations. Both countries have also made progress regarding cooperation on climate change, fighting corruption, cyber security, and Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) negotiations.

But Obama underlined in the address that it will be the United States rather than China to set the rules in Asia, in contrast with China's notion that the Pacific is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States.

Decades have passed since the United States became an undisputable super power.

No matter how Washington is nostalgic of its good old days, it has to face the reality that the world is moving fast toward multipolarization and the false pride of "America leads the world" will only prove to be counterproductive in U.S. interactions with the rest of the world. Endi