This was not the overseas trip to Turkey and Asia that the White House had in mind.
Instead of focusing primarily on his "pivot to Asia," as his top aides planned, President Barack Obama spent much of this past week grappling with a mushrooming terrorist threat to the world.
Obama is so far reacting to the global crisis by attempting to convey a delicate balance of toughness and compassion, both maintaining that he has an aggressive strategy for defeating ISIS while urging Americans to remain open to refugees who are fleeing from the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.
Visiting a refugee center in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Obama appeared emotional as he greeted migrant children who had escaped persecution in Myanmar, Somalia and Sudan.
"This is who we want to help," Obama said. "This is the face of people all around the world who still look to the United States as a beacon of hope."
It was a gesture aimed at winning over skeptical Americans who are growing increasingly anxious over the Obama administration's plans to welcome thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States over the next two years.
Just hours before the President's stop at the refugee center, he adopted a more forceful tone talking about his administration's commitment to combating terrorism.
In remarks to the ASEAN summit in the Malaysian capital, Obama responded to recent attacks in Mali and France with a promise that the "United States will be relentless against those that target our citizens."
"This barbarity only stiffens our resolve to meet this challenge," he said.