SCENARIOS-Major foreign policy issues facing new US president
05 Nov 2008 04:49:25 GMT Source: Reuters
Nov 4 (Reuters) - As the next U.S. president, Barack Obama will face a full plate of foreign policy challenges. Here are some of the top issues: WAR ON TERRORISM AND AL QAEDA Al Qaeda militants who have gained strength in the tribal region of Pakistan are an increasing U.S. concern. Obama has said that if the United States has top al Qaeda members in its sights and Pakistan is unwilling or able to act, the United States should take them out. AFGHANISTAN Obama has said he would put more focus on defeating the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and eradicating al Qaeda from Pakistan's borderlands. He has also said he would boost U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan from the current 32,000. The Bush administration is considering talks with "reconcilable" Taliban elements as part of its review of Afghanistan strategy. But no decision has been made and it will be up to Obama to decide whether to go ahead. IRAQ Obama, who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has called for a 16-month timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq to enable a greater focus on Afghanistan. IRAN Obama has said Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Obama favors tough-minded diplomacy with Tehran and has said he would be willing to meet with Iran's leaders without preconditions, though there would be extensive preparations before any such meeting. He has said his promise to meet with Iran's leaders does not necessarily mean he would sit down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because he is not the most powerful person in Iran. RUSSIA Obama condemned Russia's August invasion of Georgia and favors allowing Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO. But he opposed calls by his Republican rival John McCain to expel Russia from the elite Group of Eight club of rich nations. MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS There has been little sign of progress in talks between the Israelis and Palestinians launched by President George W. Bush in Annapolis, Maryland, a year ago. Obama has promised a vigorous effort at Middle East peacemaking and staunch support for Israel. IMPROVING U.S. IMAGE IN THE WORLD Obama has said improving the image of the United States abroad is an important foreign policy mission and that he would try to strengthen ties with traditional U.S. allies, including many in Europe, after relations were strained during the Bush administration. GUANTANAMO BAY Obama has called for shutting the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. CHINA Obama has said he sees opportunities and challenges in China's emergence. He says he would not demonize China but would press Beijing to live up to international human rights standards and stop supporting repressive governments in Iran, Myanmar, Sudan and Zimbabwe. He has also promised to press China on trade. NORTH KOREA The Bush administration removed North Korea from its terrorism blacklist this month in exchange for Pyongyang's agreement to verification measures for its nuclear activities. Obama called it a "modest step forward" that North Korea had agreed to the measures. But he said there needed to be an understanding of consequences for North Korea if it did not follow through. CLIMATE CHANGE Obama supports a cap and trade program that would issue permits to emit greenhouse gases to big polluters, such as power generators and oil and gas companies. Under such a system, the government would cap emissions; companies that exceed their limits must buy more permits to pollute, while those that come in under their limit may sell their permits. (Reporting by Caren Bohan, editing by Andrew Quinn and David Alexander)
Activists from the pro-Kremlin youth movement 'Nashi' carry blankets as they gather for a rally in central Moscow, November 4, 2008. The participants said the blankets, decorated with national ornaments, show ...
