Where should American foreign policy be heading?

The foreign policy of the United States is very influential on the world stage as it is the only remaining superpower. Due to the fact that the country has the largest economy in the world, they have been able to spend more money overseas than any other country. However, the foreign police of the United States has also been a subject of much debate. Over the past years, especially after their invasion of Iraq in 2004, their policy has had to deal with heavy criticism both domestically and abroad. The policy of the Bush administration, which is also referred to as the “Bush doctrine” legitimated an invasion of the country, claiming that they were in possession of evidence proving that Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction. The military strategies they were planning against Iraq, were reinforced even though the UN security council found no such evidence during their inspection. Here in Europe, the negativity towards the US and its foreign affairs, has been very visible among the public. President George W. Bush cooperated with British prime minister Tony Blair on the invasion of Iraq, but other European governments have shown great concern. The election of a new president, brings up the question on whether or not this development will take another direction. The mantra for Obama through his presidential campaign has been “change”. He has given several promises to the American people on how he wants the foreign policy to improve. One of his main goals is a withdrawal of all American troops in Iraq next year. At the same time, he wants to increase the effort in Afghanistan by sending more soldiers. The Iran issue is also something president Obama has to deal with when he takes over in January.

The official goals of the foreign of the United States, are to be found in the Foreign Policy Agenda of the U.S department of State, and they go as following; “ to create a more secure, democratic, prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community” In my opinion, the main problem with the current policy is that it seems as though military action is the only solution. I think United States should end the sanctions and bombings of Iraq, and listen and cooperate with the UN in the future. That the horrible dictator Saddam Hussein is gone is good I guess, but something is clearly wrong when the number of deaths is a six figured number at this point. In order to avoid even bigger conflicts with the eastern world, it is important that the US doesn't interfere in other countries unless they have support from the international community. Equally important, is that the US should support resolutions that are consistent with international law. Given Obama's background, it would be surprising if he is not more concious of cultural differences and the importance of communication. When it comes to Iran and their nuclear program though, I hope that the United States will present the Iranian regime with a clear choice. If they continue their troubling behaviour, the US will step up their economic pressure and start to isolate them politically. The terror group Al-quida and other radical Islamic groups are causing a big threat to the American society. They feel a strong hatred against the western world, and the result is a surge of violent and harmful attacks. It is impossible to find one solution that would end all the problems at one time, but there are some pre-emptive measures that should be done as well. First of all, I think American government should reduce its ties with the present governments in Muslim states, and try to improve their relations with opposing groups. Many Muslims are angry with their often corrupted government, and this would maybe reduce the support of Bin Laden. Some may call me naïve, but I also think the US start focusing more on how they can reduce the income gap between rich and poor instead of spending billions of dollars on war. In the third world, many people only see a version of US' globalisation that appears selfish and beneficial only to big corporations and the rich. If the world was to see a more generous side of America, maybe one could reduce some of the hostility against Americans. If the US was to cooperate more with the UN and EU, they could develop more successful aid programs and...

Change has come to America!

This year, on the other side of the Atlantic oceans, a presidential campaign made records. Like never before, did so many people dedicate their time in order to help the person whom they believed would be the best candidate for the American presidential election. People from every race and every class, basically from every part of the American society, committed to a task that could have easily been viewed like an unrealistic dream. After months with memorable political debates and speeches, fundraising and media coverage without comparisons, the campaigning process was finally coming to an end and it was time to give the final vote. Who would win and become the next American President? Who would get the chance to prove that their candidacy was the best choice for the future of the United States?

I believe many Americans were lost for words when they were trying to describe the joy they felt when Barack Obama’s victory was announced. The man himself was not. No different from any other day, he was first in line to be humble and congratulate his running mate after it was announced that he had won with 52 % of the vote. Even though Mc. Cain and his team went to dirty measures to weaken his position during the campaign, Obama made it clear that he truly believed that they would be able to work together. He actually “looked forward to working with them” if we are to believe his own statements. My personal opinion is (and you are more than welcome to argue different) that the American people made the right choice by electing Barack Obama as their new president. The mantra for Obama is change and I think it was about time to try something different. In the primaries, Obama said that he could bring all American troops home from Iraq in 2009. This promise will most likely be strengthen by the fact that Iraq has approved a withdrawal deadline of December 2011. On the other hand, Obama has said that he will send more troops to Afghanistan. He has also made a promise to make healthcare affordable to everyone by the end of his first term.

“There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face”

It would be naive to believe that everything will change for the better next year just because Obama is talking over. It is too easy for us to fall in love with an idea of total change. It’s easy for us to say that we love Obama just because we blame Bush for the war in Iraq. It’s very easy for us to say that we support Obama even though we don’t know that much about his politics and political experience. No matter how committed he is to the task of making America a better place to the live, the challenges are many and difficult. An economy in crisis can’t be solved in a matter of months. A healthcare system with no guaranties can’t be improved for everyone at the same time. However, I would be lying if I were to say that I don’t have big hopes for Barack Obamas reign in the White house. By speaking of a unity with similarities and differences, he makes us believe that we can cooperate and improve together. Unlike Bush, I think he will be more eager to have a better relationship with Europe.

If his election campaign proves to have been just big words with empty promises, many voters will be disappointed. Only time will tell, but we need to bear in mind that time is crucial. He has a very tough job ahead, no questions about that! There is one thing that cannot be taken away from Obama and his supporters no matter how much he might fails in the upcoming years; he has proved that he can make people care again. He is the first Afro American man to be president, a result of a new trend that hopefully, will last, and make the rest of the world more open and positive towards the United States. The people of the United States made a different choice than most people had expected in the beginning, and maybe this can make the sceptics believe that they are worth communicating with again. Hopefully, he will be a breath of fresh air in American politics by being more open to listen and cooperating back home and abroad.

So, at the end here, I want you to listen to something less serious (probably not relevant to this at all) Follow the link below, and check out a funny song (parody) that makes me laugh every time. It was made by Mad Tv earlier this year and shows a flirtatious Mrs Hillary who clearly has strong feelings for Mr. Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xb3bDwE9jQ

1,2,3... let's start blogging!

Hello everyone and welcome to my first, official blog:D weee... I think I deserve a standing ovation for this technical achievement:P Anyways, this is an educational blog where I will publish posts that are highly relevant for my English course! I guess they will be a bit serious from time to time, but hopefully you will find them intresting as well!

Enjoy <3