President Barack Obama and U.S. Foreign Policy

Source: usforeignpolicy.about.com

Author: Keith Porter

Who Is He?:

Barack Obama was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. In Chicago he organized job training programs and voter registration drives. He also worked on civil rights issues and taught at the University of Chicago Law School before his election to the Illinois Senate in 1996. He became widely known following his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and his best-selling biography, Dreams of My Father.

Early Years:

As a child, Obama lived four years in Jakarta, Indonesia. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Obama has visited many spots around the world vital to U.S. interests including Russia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Israel among others. He took a high profile trip in August 2006 to Africa where he brought his family to his father's birthplace in Kenya.

Early Foreign Policy Stands:

Obama opposed the Iraq war even before election to the U.S. Senate. He recommended a regional conference involving Syria and Iran as a step toward an Iraq solution. He joined with GOP Senator Richard Lugar to fight proliferation of nuclear weapons. Obama called for energy independence and U.S. leadership in dealing with global climate change. He sought significant changes in U.S.-Cuba policy.

In the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama clashed with then Senator Hillary Clinton over how and when to talk to rogue states. Later, he appointed Clinton as Secretary of State.

Read more about Obama's 2008 campaign positions.

Foreign Policy Goals:

Obama plans in office were outlined in a presidential transition web site called Change.gov. Among the foreign policy goals are:

• End the war in Iraq responsibly
• Finish the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan
• Secure nuclear weapons and loose nuclear materials from terrorists
• Renew American diplomacy to support strong alliances
• Seek a lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The site also mentions opening a dialogue with Iran, working toward energy security, getting politics out of intelligence work, being more bipartisan in foreign policy, and engaging more Americans in all of this.

Foreign Policy Advisers :

President Obama is surroundign himself with a number of people with years of foreign policy experience. Vice President Joe Biden, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one. Others include:

• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
• Secretary of Defense Bob Gates
• National Security Adviser Jim Jones
• UN Ambassador Susan Rice
• Deputy Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen