New Presidents, especially untested ones, often see their first years in office defined and sometimes hampered by national-security crises. Think Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs, Clinton and Somalia, or most acutely, George W. Bush and 9/11. Obama has faced challenges around the globe, and while some analysts have focused on a relative lack of tangible achievements overseas, the President's efforts to defuse potential crises with sensible rhetoric, serious focus and disarming tact give a signal of early success.