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Barack Obama is in the White House after a historic victory on Election Day. But the Obama administration will face steep obstacles, including a huge economic crisis and an overheated planet. After covering the campaign in detail, FPIF now looks at the foreign policy challenges and opportunities of the next administration.
Africa
FPIF and a coalition of organizations recommended a just policy for Africa that focuses on peace, the rule of law, human rights, and the environment in a recent briefing. You can read the press booklet for the event here. Listen to a recording of the briefing here.
Obama in Africa: Tough Love or Tough Luck?
Mukoma Wa Ngugi | July 22, 2009
It's time for Africans to practice some tough love on Obama.
Niger Delta Standoff
Kia Mistilis | July 9, 2009
Oil companies and the Nigerian military are attempting to maintain control of what will soon be one-quarter of U.S. oil imports.
What Obama Should Say in Ghana
Charles Abugre | July 9, 2009
What Obama says in his Accra speech will influence Africa's place in the world.
Denouncing Dictatorship in Uganda
Beth Tuckey | July 8, 2009
Obama should repudiate U.S. support for Uganda's near-dictator.
G8 Summit: Feed the Hungry or Fuel Hunger?
Anuradha Mittal | July 8, 2009
The food crisis is still with us in the form of impoverished farmers and impoverished analysis.
Straight Talk: Revealing the Real U.S.-Africa Policy
Gerald LeMelle | July 6, 2009
It's time for some straight talk on U.S.-Africa policy.
Iraq and Iran
The Iranian Elections and the U.S. Response
Phyllis Bennis | June 25
Phyllis Bennis talks about what the U.S. should and should not be saying in the aftermath of the Iranian elections.
Maintaining Distance from Iran
Max Burns | June 29, 2009
The U.S. can best promote change in Iran by not actively promoting change.
Iran's Do-it-Yourself Revolution
Stephen Zunes | June 29, 2009
Iranians need no lessons in democracy from the United States.
A Withdrawal in Name Only
Erik Leaver and Daniel Atzmon | June 24, 2009
U.S. troops are moving out of Iraqi cities — or are they?
Improving U.S.-Muslim Relations: Obama's Other Audience
R.S. Zaharna | June 5, 2009
For the United States to focus only on improving its image in the Arab and Muslim world is to see only half of the picture.
The Muslim World
Obama's Speech: Vexing Issues
Adil E. Shamoo | June 10, 2009
Obama's historic speech in Cairo marked a new beginning, but it will take action to translate his new vision into a reality.
How Not to Support Democracy in the Middle East
Stephen Zunes | June 8, 2009
Obama failed to address Egyptian and Saudi repression in his address to the Muslim world
Improving U.S.-Muslim Relations: Obama's Other Audience
R.S. Zaharna | June 5, 2009
For the United States to focus only on improving its image in the Arab and Muslim world is to see only half of the picture.
Changing the Discourse: First Step Toward Changing the Policy?
Phyllis Bennis | June 4, 2009
Obama's approach toward the Muslim world may be diplomatic, but it remains the work of mobilized people across the United States to end Obama's war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, halt the occupation of Iraq immediately rather than years from now, stop U.S. military aid to Israel, and launch new negotiations with Iran not based on military threats.
Lifting the Veil
Farrah Hassen | June 4, 2009
A Muslim American reflects on Obama's Cairo speech.
First 100 Days
Obama's First 100 Days: Foreign Policy
John Feffer | April 27, 2009
He's better than his predecessor but whether he's adding to an already gargantuan Pentagon budget or sending more troops to Afghanistan, Obama has maintained some disturbing continuities with Bush-era policies.
Planning for Failure in Afghanistan
Col. Sam Gardiner, USAF (ret.) and Erik Leaver | March 30, 2009
Obama's plan for Afghanistan will likely result in the U.S. (and NATO) being trapped in the region for decades to come.
The Budget's Foreign Policy Handcuffs
Stephen Zunes | March 20, 2009
The recently passed omnibus budget bill contained numerous provisions pertaining to the Middle East that may undercut Obama's authority to overhaul U.S. policy toward the region.
Clinton in Indonesia: What She Missed
Andre Vltchek | March 18, 2009
Hillary Clinton had nothing but praise for Indonesia on her recent visit. Somehow she missed genocide, religious intolerance, and a growing split between rich and poor.
Neocons 1, Obama 0
Stephen Zunes | March 16, 2009
Chas Freeman was on his way to head up the National Intelligence Council – until the right-wing attacks began.
Obama and Israel's Military: Still Arm-in-Arm
Stephen Zunes | March 4, 2009
Despite some hopeful movement on Middle East issues, the new administration is still lavishing military aid on Israel and, by extension, the U.S. defense industry.
Will the Winds of Change Reach El Salvador?
Mark Engler | March 2, 2009
The prospect of progressive leadership coming to power in El Salvador's March 15 presidential elections should prompt a new U.S. policy toward Central America.
Obama to Announce Iraq Troop Withdrawal
Phyllis Bennis | February 27, 2009
President Obama is about to order the beginning of the end of the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq. Or is he?
It's a Global Economic Crisis
Col. Sam Gardiner, USAF (Ret.) | February 25, 2009
The lack of focus about the vast global responsibilities we have as a nation, especially from a President who campaigned on a new type of global engagement, was shocking.
Obama in Canada
Anthony Fenton | February 24, 2009
Obama makes his first foreign visit as president and gets the green light on Afghan escalation.
Obama: Improve Relations with Latin America
Cynthia McClintock | February 11, 2009
More respect and better policies — especially regarding Cuba, drugs, and immigration — are crucial to building a constructive partnership.
Obama: Sweep Away a Free-Trade Relic
Sarah Anderson | February 9, 2009
Among the most embarrassing, yet often overlooked economic policies of the Bush and Clinton years was the penchant for making other countries restrict capital controls, even though such controls had proved effective against financial volatility.
Obama: Cut Arms Exports
James Carter | February 6, 2009
If the new president is serious about diplomacy, he needs to cut back on the huge number of weapons that the United States is dumping on the world market.
Un-Gagging Women's Human Rights
Yifat Susskind | February 5, 2009
The "global gag rule" is gone. Now it's time to move on to the rest of the global reproductive health agenda.
Bush, Obama, and the Freedom Agenda
Anthony Fenton | January 27, 2009
President Obama is poised to continue the Bush administration's "freedom agenda." And that means scaled-up counterinsurgency.
Hearing Holds Clues to Obama's Foreign Policy Approach
Phyllis Bennis | January 13, 2009
Gwen Ifill talks to Phyllis Bennis and Joseph Nye about approaches to foreign policy in the new administration.
Obama and Israel
Ian Williams | January 9, 2009
The president-elect should act now to change the U.S.-Israel relationship while Gaza is still burning and before it's time to run for reelection.
Obama: Listen to Iraqi Opinion
Eric Stoner | January 5, 2009
Barack Obama, in discussing his plans for the Iraq War during the presidential campaign, seldom, if ever, mentioned the Iraqi people as supporting his proposed policy.
Obama: Stand Up to the Indonesian Military
John M. Miller | December 4, 2008
By restricting military assistance to Indonesia, President Obama can do the most for human rights in the world's largest Muslim-majority country.
Pragmatism Trumps Change (video)
Phyllis Bennis and Lawrence Korb | December 2, 2008
A discussion on the significance of Obama's foreign policy appointments.
Foreign Policy for Obama Should Be Approached with a Broad Vision
John Feffer | November 26, 2008
Exercising too much caution, if it translates into maintaining the status quo, would be a profound mistake.
Change Nuclear Policy? Yes, We Can.
Daryl Kimball | November 25, 2008
The next president can and must take immediate steps toward a nuclear weapons free world.
Beyond the Drug War
Coletta Youngers | November 25, 2008
The Obama administration should take advantage of promising new trends in Latin America to seek more effective and more humane drug control policies both at home and abroad.
Latin Americanists Urge Obama to Revamp Policies
Cynthia McClintock | November 13, 2008
More than 200 scholars are urging the new president to respect Latin America's new progressive leadership.
The Case for U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Sameer Dossani | November 9, 2008
Instead of scaling up an already disastrous war, the United States could change course in a way that would ultimately do a lot more to ensure the world's safety.
Roundtable: Obama's Top Three Foreign Policy Priorities
FPIF Senior Analysts | November 7, 2008
Foreign Policy In Focus asked our senior analysts to identify the foreign policy priorities of the new Obama administration. Here's what they said.
Letter to President Obama on Human Rights
Julie Mertus | November 5, 2008
Here are four steps for the new president to bring U.S. human rights policy in line with global standards.
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