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Updated: July 7, 2009
President Barack Obama says he will seek vigorous climate-change policy. Efforts to curb greenhouse gases pose considerable economic pitfalls, as well as opportunities.
See more in United States, Economics, Energy/Environment, Climate Change
Updated: February 9, 2009
Retired Adm. Dennis C. Blair, President Obama's director of national intelligence, is a former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command with long military experience.
See more in United States, Intelligence
Updated: March 4, 2009
Heavy healthcare costs have some U.S. corporations fearing for their future competitiveness in the global marketplace.
See more in United States, Global Health
December 3, 2008
James L. Jones, a retired Marine commandant, brings extensive military and diplomatic experience to his new post as national security adviser for President Barack Obama.
See more in United States, National Security and Defense, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: February 3, 2009
President Barack Obama's attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., has criticized some of the Bush administration's counter-terrorism moves, calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and bans on torture.
See more in Counterterrorism, U.S. Strategy and Politics
December 3, 2008
Robert M. Gates, a Cold War veteran selected to remain as defense secretary, has won bipartisan praise for his pragmatism and handling of the Pentagon amid two wars.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security
Updated: February 3, 2009
Janet Napolitano, experienced in federal law enforcement and immigration issues, has been selected for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
See more in United States, Immigration, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: January 22, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a senator and former First Lady, has offered a tough pragmatism on national security matters and called for reviving U.S. credibility in the world.
See more in International Peace and Security, Diplomacy
Updated: January 28, 2009
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner brings experience in global financial crisis management for the Fed, expertise on Asia, and perspective from work with the International Monetary Fund.
See more in United States, International Finance
Updated: December 4, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama made many promises on defense spending and strategy during his two-year run for the White House. But analysts say economic constraints and political pressure could make implementation difficult.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Policy & Budget
November 4, 2008
The handoff of foreign policy responsibility from one U.S. presidential administration to another has proven risky in many cases. The next transition occurs at a time of extraordinary global challenges.
See more in Organization of Government, Presidency, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: June 20, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton's foreign policy team included veteran Clinton administration officials seeking to revive U.S. leadership through a balance of soft and hard power.
See more in United States, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: May 12, 2008
Through the U.S. presidential nominating process, voters have offered a muddled view on foreign policy issues but they continue to generate heat on the campaign trail.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Business & Foreign Policy, Society and Culture, Immigration, U.S. Strategy and Politics, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: November 11, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama's foreign policy team includes former State Department veterans and newcomers from academia who seek to reinvigorate U.S. diplomacy.
See more in United States, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: October 3, 2008
Sen. John McCain's Republican presidential campaign has a group of foreign policy advisers reflecting both realist and neoconservative views of the world.
See more in United States, U.S. Election 2008
March 3, 2008
Party caucuses, which date to the 1800s, have declined in importance but they could be decisive in choosing the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.
See more in United States, Elections
Updated: February 10, 2009
The effort to stimulate the U.S. economy provides the first major test of how the Obama administration will balance concerns about trade policy.
See more in United States, Trade
Updated: June 10, 2008
Close Republican and Democratic presidential nominating contests are focusing attention on the role of delegates, who ultimately will be choosing their party’s nominees.
See more in United States, Elections, U.S. Election 2008
Updated: December 21, 2007
Democrats in the 110th Congress failed to alter Bush administration policy on Iraq, but made an impact on trade and energy legislation.
See more in United States, Congress
June 25, 2007
The looming expiration of U.S. fast-track trade promotion authority could trip up momentum toward trade liberalization, but experts say it won’t necessarily be a step backwards.
See more in United States, Trade
We welcome your views on the foreign policy issues in the presidential transition. Join the discussion and post your comments on the The New Administration blog, or send us an email at letters@cfr.org.
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