obama Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Just Foreign Policy

Obama’s Smart Approach to the Iranian Elections

June 19, 2009

The Obama Administration’s response to the ongoing Iranian election crisis has been remarkably intelligent. Rather than make blustering statements in support of one side or the other, President Obama has urged restraint and caution when it comes to US commentary on what is going on in Iran. In a CNBC interview, he told the press,…

Commentary

In Cairo, Obama Can Score With Changed U.S. Policies Towards Palestine and Iran

June 2, 2009

President Obama has the opportunity to make history in Cairo on Thursday, the kind of history that President Eisenhower made when he rebuked the 1956 invasion of Egypt by Britain, France and Israel. Eisenhower’s stand won tremendous goodwill for the U.S. in the Arab world. If Obama stands firm on his policy differences with Israeli…

Commentary

Cuba: US Concedes World “May Have Changed” Since 1962

May 28, 2009

The Obama Administration has been praised and vilified for its legendary caution, typically depending on whether the speaker supports or opposes the direction in which caution is being applied. But a recent proposal by the State Department to the Organization of American States regarding Cuba’s re-entry to the OAS rises to the level of ludicrous…

NYT: Taliban Offer Afghan Peace Plan

May 22, 2009

With the passage of the war supplemental by the Senate, President Obama and Congress are “doubling down” on war in Afghanistan. Are we – and the Afghan people – doomed to endure many more years of war? There is no reason that we need be, according to yesterday’s New York Times, which reports that talks…

Commentary

Obama: Israeli Settlements “Have To Be Stopped”

May 18, 2009

Two cheers for President Obama. President Obama, at the press conference today with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: Now, Israel is going to have to take some difficult steps as well, and I shared with the Prime Minister the fact that under the roadmap and under Annapolis that there’s a clear understanding that we have to…

Commentary

Can Treasury Sneak IMF Money Through the Supplemental?

May 15, 2009

Almost completely lost in the drama over the war supplemental for Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan is a sneaky play by the U.S. Treasury Department to get $108 billion in U.S. tax dollars for the International Monetary Fund through the supplemental. Of course, if Treasury can get the money through the supplemental, it can avoid any…

Commentary

On Israeli Settlement Freeze, Public Has Obama’s Back

May 1, 2009

There have been hints in the press that the Obama Administration has been considering conditioning U.S. aid to Israel on a real freeze of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. There’s a conventional wisdom that suggests that doing this would touch a “third rail of politics.” But the conventional wisdom might not have been…

Commentary

NYT: Americans Support Obama’s Outreach to Iran and Cuba

April 29, 2009

Despite what some right-wing critics in the media and Congress would have you believe, Americans support President Obama’s outreach to Iran and Cuba. The New York Times reports, based on a recent poll, that the public does give Mr. Obama credit for improving the image of the United States with the rest of the world.…

Commentary

Thank You, President Obama, for Shaking Hands with President Chavez

April 20, 2009

The whole world was watching when President Obama shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Most Americans, along with most people around the world, want the U.S. to try to get along with other countries, treat their leaders with respect, address disagreements through dialogue and negotiation, and look for areas of potential cooperation with countries…

Commentary

Mr. President, May I Also Travel to Cuba?

April 15, 2009

I want to make absolutely clear that I’m totally delighted for my Cuban-American brothers and sisters who can now, thanks to President Obama’s announcement, travel to Cuba without restriction. The Bush Administration restrictions were gratuitously mean and caused real hardship for Cuban-American families. Most Americans agree with me – 79%, according to a recent poll…

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