It would appear that Russia has recently changed course rather dramatically and has left the U.S. looking for the proper response. In the latest example, Russia has embarked on a program to modernize the armed forces (Times Online – Russia to build missile defence shield and renew nuclear deterrence): In a sharp escalation of […]
A while back I addressed a popular reaction to Senator Barack Obama's broad popularity outside the US: why does it matter what the world thinks? Here are two perspectives from foreign Obama-supporters themselves. British columnist Jonathan Freeland sent Americans an ominous warning in an opinion piece published by the UK's Guardian newspaper, titled: “The world's verdict will be harsh if the US rejects the man it […]
I’m staying with the debate topic today, and according to the latest report I could find, the debate is still on (Washington Post – McCain Says Yes to Debate in Miss.): Sen. John McCain announced in a statement that he is resuming his campaign and will travel to Oxford, Miss., this afternoon to face Sen. […]
Since tonight's presidential debate–if it happens at all–will likely stray from its agenda of foreign policy issues, let's see what the vice presidential candidates have been up to in the foreign policy department this week. Reuters reports that Sara Palin visited with a variety of foreign leaders this week. Only brief glimpses of Palin, running […]
As you may have heard, there may or may not be a presidential debate tomorrow. Apparently one candidate wants to postpone the debate and the other wants to proceed as planned. Do you like how vaguely non-partisan I’m being? I only mention this because the debate was to be focused on foreign policy, which would […]
On Monday, American Abroad Media, the public radio program distributed through NPR, broadcast an excellent panel on the foreign policy challenges facing the next president. They couldn't have picked a more qualified cast. The discussion featured five former Secretaries of State – Madeleine K. Albright, James A. Baker, III, Warren Christopher, Henry Kissinger, and Colin […]
There have been a number of developments in Latin America that on the surface appear to be great challenges for the United States. Venezuala's president Hugo Chavez has emerged as a leader of a new anti-American movement, welcoming trade deals with Iran and hosting new military ventures with Russia. Bolivia has also signed billion dollar trade […]
The folks at PBS’ “Frontline/World,” a national public TV series that focusing on global issues, have been producing material that is highly relevant to this blog's scope. Their “The World is Watching” series investigates global views of the US presidential election. For example, the site features reporting on the US elections in Afghanistan: “The elections are a […]
Last week there was a diplomatic row between the US, Bolivia and Venezuela. Bolivian President, Evo Morales, expelled the US Ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, from the country, accusing the Ambassador of “conspiring against democracy.” The expulsion comes at a time of social upheaval in Bolivia. Wealthy people from Bolivia's oil-rich provinces have been protesting against the populist […]
I’d like to follow up on my previous post on the foreign policy advice being given to Barack Obama by noting the advice being given to John McCain. My fellow FPA blogger Melinda Brouwer noted foreign policy advice presented at the Republican National Convention on a panel moderated by the Council on Foreign Relations’ president […]
Sometimes television advertising fails to reach even an interested consumer. I had no idea that CNN was going to convene a panel of past secretaries of state, if I had, I would have promoted that event here. The CNN special The Next President – A World of Challenges aired this past weekend, in which a […]
The Guardian reports from Brazil: “Welcome to Obama-mania, Brazil-style. Few countries have embraced the idea of the US's first black president as enthusiastically as Brazil, a country with one of the largest Afro-descendant populations on Earth yet where black faces remain a minority in politics. Obama T-shirts are everywhere while chat shows and newspaper columns […]
For my weekly blog recommendation I’d like to call your attention to the Counterterrorism Blog, a group blog dedicated to providing a one-stop gateway to the counterterrorism community. From their About page: We envision the blog's audience to be the policymakers in Congress and the Executive Branch, as well as serious students elsewhere, who want […]
Would the foreign policy of Barack Obama be dramatically different than that of President Bush? In this video, former Secretary of State and Obama advisor Madeleine Albright offers a to-do list for the next president (FORA.tv – Albright on the US Presidency's Future): Madeleine Albright discusses America's current standing on the global stage, explaining the […]
The United States is the largest arms merchant in the world, selling to great powers and small countries alike. According to this report in The New York Times, business is good: From tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to missiles, remotely piloted aircraft and even warships, the Department of Defense has agreed so far this fiscal […]