Spotlight on Obama's Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spotlight on Obama's Foreign Policy - Essay Example However, the implementation and temperament of Obama's style will greatly impact the ways in which we negotiate with the global community. The policies of Barak Obama have fundamentally changed the ways in which we confront our adversaries in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe. A key to Obama's strategy for engaging countries that are hostile towards the US, and present a threat to our national security, is the elimination of Bush's failed policy that mandated the need for preconditions during the negotiating process. Iran is an example where the Bush administration demanded that Tehran suspend its nuclear enrichment program before agreeing to any talks. This became a roadblock to negotiations, as the Iranians refused to give up what they perceived as a sovereign right (Anderson, 2008, p. A08). In addition, this policy has been blamed for the election of the right-wing reactionary Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, partially as a response to the US's hard line foreign policy (Zahedi and Memarian, 2007, M2). Obama's willingness to talk should bring about a thawing of relations and empower the more moderate Iranians that held power until the election of Bush (Iran moderate elected speaker, 2000). Barak Obama will further benefit from the goodwill that he has amassed from the governments and people around