Friday, November 14, 2008

Obama's challenge

Obama will soon face the problem of beginning to disappoint people all over the world, a problem built into his job.

... his Achilles' heel, as it was for Bush and for many presidents, will be foreign policy. He has made what appear to be three guarantees. First, he will withdraw from Iraq. Second, he will focus on Afghanistan. Third, he will oppose Russian expansionism. To deliver on the first promise, he must deal with the Iranians. To deliver on the second, he must deal with the Taliban. To deliver on the third, he must deal with the Europeans.

[2/18/09 -- see also The New President and the Global Landscape]

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