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Veteran journalist Bernard Gwertzman interviews foreign policy experts from around the world to explore the significance of the 2008 U.S. presidential race beyond U.S. borders, part of CFR.org’s special election coverage.
December 23, 2008
European affairs analyst William Drozdiak says Barack Obama's administration will lead Washington to demand from Europe more troops for Afghanistan, a coordinated economic stimulus package, and help resettling Guantanamo detainees.
See more in Europe/Russia, Presidency
December 17, 2008
Gareth Porter, a veteran journalist and historian just returned from Iran, says early optimism that President-elect Barack Obama would open a new dialogue with Iran has dissipated.
December 5, 2008
Scott Lasensky, a Middle East expert, says the new U.S. administration should listen carefully to voices from the Middle East and that President Barack Obama's first speeches will be scrutinized for signals on his approach.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, International Peace and Security
November 12, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama assembles his national security team at a time when responsibility for foreign policymaking has shifted increasingly to the White House, says Carnegie Endowment scholar David Rothkopf.
See more in United States, U.S. Election 2008
November 5, 2008
CFR President Richard N. Haass, who worked on previous presidential transitions, says that given the current world situation, he believes the first priority for President-elect Barack Obama lies in "the financial and economic side," and that "the near-term foreign policy challenges are probably Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, [and] a little bit of Iraq."
See more in United States, U.S. Election 2008
October 7, 2008
Paulo Sotero, a veteran Brazilian analyst, discusses the hopes and concerns of his country, and many Latin American states, about the economic impact of the next U.S. administration.
See more in United States, Brazil, Business & Foreign Policy, U.S. Election 2008
August 13, 2008
Irfan Husain, a columnist for Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, says the next U.S. president faces the challenge of trying to coax reforms from a splintered Pakistani leadership.
See more in United States, Pakistan, Democracy and Human Rights, Diplomacy, U.S. Election 2008
May 14, 2008
Josef Joffe, an expert on European and U.S. politics, notes unparalleled European interest in the U.S. presidential campaigns—and unrealistic expectations as well.
See more in United States, Europe/Russia, Media and Foreign Policy
April 21, 2008
Allan Gyngell, a former Australian diplomat, says there is concern in Australia and East Asia that the next U.S. president might retreat from the United States' support for free trade.
See more in United States, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, Elections
April 14, 2008
Russian analyst Andrei A. Piontkovsky says the next U.S. president could face a more conciliatory policy from the Kremlin and new Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., Elections
March 31, 2008
Serge Schmemann, a veteran journalist based in Europe, says the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign has generated “a bigger stir than any election I can remember.”
See more in United States, Media and Foreign Policy
February 28, 2008
Edward Alden, a CFR trade and immigration expert, says it is wrong to pin blame on NAFTA for the ills of the U.S. economy. Most of the competition that has affected U.S. manufacturing has come from the rest of the world, he says.
See more in NAFTA, Trade, U.S. Election 2008
February 6, 2008
Walter Russell Mead, an award-winning historian, discusses the importance of national security credentials and religion in the presidential nominating contests.
See more in United States, Elections
January 9, 2008
Amity Shlaes, an economic scholar, says she is impressed by Sen. John McCain’s New Hampshire primary win but notes that he has not traditionally concentrated on economic policy, a chief area of voters’ concerns.
See more in United States, Elections
January 4, 2008
CFR's Peter Beinart says the Iowa caucuses reveal shifts in the political beliefs of both parties' bases.
See more in United States, Presidency, U.S. Election 2008
July 24, 2006
Congressman Thomas Tancredo, a four-term Colorado Republican who chairs the 104-member House Immigration Reform Caucus, believes that tough immigration reform is essential to preserve the country's identity.
See more in Mexico, United States, Immigration
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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