Political Security, Foreign & Security Policy

In Focus

U.S. Relationship With Germany: Secretary Clinton (Nov. 6): "For Americans, our relationship with Germany is rooted in our commitment to freedom and democracy. And certainly, the new government that the minister represents exemplifies that. This time is a reminder of the values that we share and that we will use to chart a new future together: democracy, tolerance, human rights, the pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous future for our people and for all people."  Full Text

AFGHANISTAN - PAKISTAN

Afghan Elections

INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR THREAT

Keeping Nuclear Weapons Out of the Hands of Terrorists: On April 5, 2009 in Prague, President Obama presented an ambitious strategy to address the international nuclear threat. He proposed measures to reduce and eventually eliminate existing nuclear arsenals, including negotiations on further nuclear reductions with Russia, ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and completion of a verified Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty; halt proliferation of nuclear weapons to additional states, and prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear weapons or materials.

“There is no graver danger to global security than the threat of nuclear terrorism.” - President Obama in a message to the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, June 16, 2009 - more

North Korea

At a July 22 press conference, Secretary of State Clinton said the United States had made it clear to the North Korean regime that if it agrees to irreversible denuclearization, the United States and its partners will move forward on a package of incentives and opportunities — including normalizing relations.

The United States has been actively engaged in the Six-Party Talks — with China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia — to convince the regime of Kim Jong-Il to abandon its nuclear weapons development program in return for an array of substantial incentives designed to improve North Koreans’ lives and livelihoods. Concerns over the weapons program are twofold: that it may at some point spur an unintended nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia, and that it could lead North Korea to sell its nuclear technology to rogue regimes and extremist groups.

The Security Council condemned North Korea’s actions and unanimously approved additional economic and political sanctions in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874. The new resolution bans all North Korean arms exports, authorizes U.N. member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo and requires them to seize and destroy any goods transported in violation of the sanctions. America.gov

IRAN

The Obama Administration will present a clear choice to Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations, including its right to peaceful nuclear energy, or continue to refuse to meet its international obligations and fail to seize the opportunity of a positive future.

Future relations between the United States and Iran will depend significantly on the willingness of Iranian officials to set aside years of mistrust for cooperation, President Obama says. “Iran is a country that has extraordinary people, extraordinary history and traditions, but … its actions over many years now have been unhelpful when it comes to promoting peace and prosperity both in the region and around the world.” America.gov

Iranian Election

On June 19, President Obama explained his view on Iran: "What you're seeing in Iran are hundreds of thousands of people who believe their voices were not heard and who are peacefully protesting and seeking justice. And the world is watching. And we stand behind those who are seeking justice in a peaceful way." Transcript of CBS Interview

IRAQ

U.S. Forces Ready to Leave Iraq by 2011

President Obama said all U.S. forces are on schedule to be fully withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011. “Violence continues to be down, and Iraqis are taking responsibility for their future,” Obama said in a press conference at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on July 22.

The President said the United States took a critical step forward by transferring control of all Iraqi cities and towns to Iraq’s security forces. That step was outlined in a Status of Forces Agreement in 2008 and underscores U.S. commitments to the Iraqi government. And the President reiterated his pledge that “we seek no bases in Iraq, nor do we make any claim on Iraq’s territory or resources.” America.gov

On February 27, 2009, President Obama announced a plan to responsibly end the war in Iraq. Remarks of President Barack Obama – Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq

MIDDLE EAST

Promoting Peace and Security in Israel and the Middle East

Secretary Clinton (Nov. 4): "[O]ur policy on settlement activity has not changed. We do not accept the legitimacy of settlement activity. And we have a very firm belief that ending all settlement activity, current and future, would be preferable, and that is what we have put forth, and that is what we have continued to support. What we have received from the Israelis to halt all new settlement activity – and I’ll repeat that again, too – to halt all new settlement activities and to end the expropriation of land, and to issue no permits or approvals, is unprecedented." Full Text

President Obama believes that we cannot afford to wait to work for peace in the region, so he appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East peace on his second day in office. In the Middle East, we share the goal of a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. The United States strongly supports the goal of two states, Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. The President has committed himself and his Administration to actively pursuing this goal.

The United States seeks a quick resumption and an early conclusion to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell said on June 12. His recent visit to the West Bank city of Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, is part of President Obama’s efforts to reinvigorate negotiations that ultimately would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state living at peace alongside Israel — often referred to as the “two-state solution.” More

PIRACY

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is felt worldwide, harming trade, slowing regional development and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the poorest nations of east Africa. In recognition of the growing impact of piracy on commercial shipping, humanitarian aid, and regional trade in the Horn of Africa, the United States and its international partners created the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia in New York on January 14, 2009. The Contact Group was formed as an international cooperation mechanism against piracy, as called for in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1851, which was sponsored by the United States and passed unanimously on December 16, 2008. Read more: America.gov - "Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia"

RUSSIA

Positive Future for U.S.-Russian Relations

Secretary Clinton (Oct. 14): "[W]e believe strongly that the United States and Russia must be partners, not only for the future of our own country and our own people, but indeed, to the world. If you look around our planet today, you see a spectacular array of challenges – from threats to global security to economic crisis to a fragile environment. Amid that landscape, Russia stands out as a country of almost unlimited talents and potential. I believe our world will be a vastly better place if the intellectual energy that resides in both our countries is focused on working together to address these common economy’s challenges." Full Text l More

The United States and Russia are making progress in replacing a current treaty for reducing nuclear arsenals with one that goes further in physically reducing arsenals and also lessening perceived tensions over nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says.

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed at a meeting in April to reduce nuclear arsenals well below the levels called for in the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I.

“Our goal remains to complete the work on START by December 5 when the current agreement expires,” Clinton said at a press conference October 13 in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

UNITED NATIONS

United States “Ready to Lead Once More” at United Nations

The Obama administration recognizes that the well-being and security of Americans is “inextricably linked” to that of people everywhere in the world, and it is making “rather dramatic changes” toward multilateralism in its approach to the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said on August 12. “We work with passion and resolve because we know that the change that has come to America can also change the world. The time for action is now. The challenges we face are vast. But the opportunities are even greater. And we will seize them.” Extraordinary global challenges, such as the dangers of nuclear proliferation, climate change, pandemic disease and the global financial crisis, threaten U.S. security in the 21st century, she said. More l Transcript