Foreign+Relations


 * Foreign Relations of the United States**

The foreign policy of the United States is the policy by which the United States interacts with foreign nations. United States foreign policy is highly influential on the world stage, as it is the only remaining superpower.

The //Foreign Relations of the United States// series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S.A. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. The series, which is produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian, began in 1861 and now comprises more than 350 individual volumes. The volumes published over the last two decades increasingly contain declassified records from all the foreign affairs agencies. []

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 * __ Obama's Plan __**

[|**Obama's Foreign Policy: A Grand Century of Days :Light Years Away from Bush**] President Obama has committed himself and his Administration from the beginning of his presidency to a foreign policy that ensures the safety of the American people. But he also refuses the false division between our values and our security; the United States can be true to our values and ideals while also protecting the American people. We will use all elements of American power to achieve objectives, and consult closely with the Congress so that our policies may have the broad and bipartisan support that makes them most effective. Finally, while there are instances and individuals who can be met only by force, the United States will be prepared to listen to and talk with our adversaries in order to advance our interests. 1. Secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists. -Obama and Biden are trying to secure any and all loose nuclear material that may be under the possession of terrorists. 2. Wants to end the threat in Iran. -Obama and Biden will present Iran with a choice on how they are going to run their country and how they must change their regime. 3. Renew American Diplomacy -Obama and Biden with try to refresh the American Diplomacy to make it hopefully more suitable for the 21st Century. [] President Obama and Vice President Biden will renew America’s security and standing in the world through a new era of American leadership. The Obama-Biden foreign policy will 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, and renew American diplomacy to support strong alliances and to seek a lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 * Barack Obamas' three main concerns in his foreign affairs:**
 * Obama-Biden Foreign Policy Agenda, January 2009**

Afghanistan and Pakistan
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 * **Afghanistan:** Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security -- the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They will increase our troop levels in Afghanistan, press our allies in NATO to do the same, and dedicate more resources to revitalize Afghanistan’s economic development. Obama and Biden will demand the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade.
 * **Pakistan:** Obama and Biden will increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan

Refocusing on the Threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Following an intensive 60-day interagency review, on March 27, 2009, the President announced a new strategy with a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. The strategy is comprehensive and flexible and will need to be fully resourced. In addition to the new troops the President has chosen to deploy, the strategy calls for significantly more resources to the civilian effort and frequent evaluations of our progress.

Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq
On February 27, 2009, President Obama announced a plan to responsibly end the war in Iraq. By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end and Iraqi Security Forces will have full responsibility for major combat missions. After August 31, 2010, the mission of United States forces in Iraq will fundamentally change. Our forces will have three tasks: train, equip, and advise the Iraqi Security Forces; conduct targeted counterterrorism operations; and provide force protection for military and civilian personnel. The President intends to keep our commitment under the Status of Forces Agreement to remove all of our troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

= = =Council on Foreign Relations=

From SourceWatch
Jump to: [|navigation], [|search] The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) [|states] that it is "dedicated to increasing America's understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S.A. foreign policy. The Council accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive debates and discussions, clarifying world issues, and publishing [|Foreign Affairs]." In a September 2005 makeover of its website, the Council proclaimed itself to be "A Nonpartisan Resource for Information and Analysis"(sic), "to be the first-stop, nonpartisan resource on U.S.A. foreign policy and America’s role in the world", according to [|the press release].

History
The CFR dates back to 1921, and in 1996 published its history, [|available on its website]. The membership of the CFR includes past Presidents, Ambassadors, Secretaries of State, Wall Street investors, international bankers, foundation executives, [|think tank] executives, [|lobbyist] lawyers, [|NATO] and [|Pentagon] military leaders, wealthy industrialists, [|journalists], [|media] owners and executives, university presidents and key professors, select Congressmen, [|Supreme Court] Justices, Federal Judges, wealthy entrepreneurs, and as many as ten [|9-11 Commission] Members. [|[1]] [|[2]] Due perhaps more to its origins, associations, and history, than to its current composition and activities, the CFR does have a reputation as one of the "triumvirate of elite organizations" together with the [|Bilderberg] and the [|Trilateral Commission]. Elitism doesn't necessarily preclude the ability to provide unbiased and useful service however. [|[3]] [|Carroll Quigley], Professor of History at Georgetown University, stated, "The Council of Foreign Relations is the American Branch of a society which originated in England and believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established." [|[4]] They hold regular private meetings including members, and very select guests. Occasionally they will hold a public meeting, and invite the open press (including [|C-SPAN]). The image of the CFR as a closed-shop bi-partisan discussion forum for the foreign policy establishment has fuelled criticism that the organisation and its members are controlling world policy and events. In 1938 the Council created numerous Committees on Foreign Relations throughout the county, in 1995 the Committees became a separate organization under the umbrella of the American Committees on Foreign Relations in Washington D.C..

Current Independent Task Force Projects (January 2008)

 * Independent Task Force on Civil Liberties and National Security (November 21, 2006—Present) – Chairs: [|Bob Kerrey] and [|William H. Webster]; Director: [|Daniel B. Prieto]
 * Independent Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Latin America (February 23, 2007—Present) – Chairs: [|Charlene Barshefsky], [|James T. Hill], and [|Shannon O'Neil]; Directors: [|Julia E. Sweig] - see [|Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on Latin America]
 * Independent Task Force on Global Climate Change (July 11, 2007—Present) – Chairs: [|George E. Pataki] and [|Thomas J. Vilsack]; Directors: [|Michael A. Levi] and [|David G. Victor]

Progress
[]
 * Ordered the [|closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay] and a [|review of our detention and interrogation policy], and [|prohibited the use of torture].
 * Appointed Special Envoys for Climate Change, Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Sudan, and a Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
 * Announced a [|plan to responsibly end the War in Iraq].
 * Announced a [|new strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan].
 * Announced a [|strategy to address the international nuclear threat].
 * Agreed to negotiation of a new [|Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia].
 * Established a new [|"U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue"].
 * Announced [|new policy steps towards Cuba].

Korea expert [|Scott C. Snyder] says that North Korea's recent behavior indicates it feels constrained by the [|Six-Party Talks] in Beijing, which are aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear programs. He also says that North Korea's recent launch of a missile, in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution, may be pegged to a succession process. Just as Kim Jong-Il took power after a missile shot in 1998, the North Koreans may be planning to elevate his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, to succeed his father. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has [|firmly opposed (//Deutsche Welle//)] President Bush’s plan to build a missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland and signaled changes to an important [|post-Soviet arms pact]. Russia has also been critical of U.S.A attempts to ratchet up pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program; in October 2007, then-president Vladimir Putin likened the Bush administration’s posture toward Iran to “ [|a madman with a razor blade] ” (al-Jazeera). Russia’s increasingly anti-democratic moves have also raised alarm among both Republican and Democratic policymakers in Washington. At the same time, top officials and candidates from both parties have stressed the importance of engaging Russia on matters of strategic importance, in particular securing Russia’s vast stocks of nuclear materials, to avoid proliferation to rogue states or other groups.  [] In early August 2008, Russian officials ordered air strikes against Georgia, a republic directly south of it and bordered by Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and sent tanks and troops into South Ossetia, a region in northern Georgia that had claimed its independence from the central government in Tbilisi. The Russians explained that peacekeeping units they had deployed in Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, had been shelled by Georgian forces, and they were rushing in to defend their troops. Not surprisingly, the American political and media establishment did not accept the Russian explanation. The U.S.A and NATO condemned the attacks and demanded a cease-fire, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for a complete Russian withdrawal. []
 * __ World Affairs: __**
 * The Candidates on U.S.A Policy toward Russia **

In the Graph it shows all of the enemy attacks against the coalition, Iraqi's, and its increasing numberso future attacks. The highest peak occurred in October of 2005, around the time of the October referendum on Iraq's constitution. This followed earlier peaks in August and November 2004 and January 2005. According to a senior U.S.A military officer, the attack levels have gone up, almost all of which where done on there own Iraqi population.