foreign policy

Foreign policy is a phrase used to reference a nation’s political position and guidelines in engaging other sovereign nations throughout the world. In the United States foreign policy is the primary concern for the Secretary of State, who is charged with the responsibility of upholding the nation’s views and interests.

Foreign policy more specifically refers to a political mode of diplomatic engagement. For allies and neutral nations, trade agreements may be discussed and enacted. For hostile or potentially hostile nations, sanctions and embargos may result.

The ultimate goal of any foreign policy must be the preservation of peace and financial markets and the maintenance of international relations through diplomacy.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “foreign policy”

• Video: Minnesota governor turned Truther superpatriot walks off radio show in huff

  
  Stupidica — Authority: 176
  From this morning’s Opie & Anthony show, your viral video of the day. The little guy is comedian Jim Norton. The big guy is a bully who used to wrestle in a feather boa, likes to throw around the chickenhawk smear when discussing foreign policy, and, oh yes, is a full-blown mouthbreathing 9/11 conspiracy theorist ...
  1 hour ago

• What I Heard Last Night

  
  White House.gov Blog — Authority: 737
  Last night, I accompanied the President to West Point as he spoke to the American people about his decision on the way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  This was an important moment for America, delivered in a stirring yet sober setting.  Over four thousand people filled Eisenhower Hall -- proud and patriotic ...
  3 hours ago

• Afghanistan: Obamas catch-22

  
  The Guardian - guardian.co.uk — Authority: 988
  For a president who had taken 92 days to ponder a war that he is losing in Afghanistan, Barack Obamas conclusions were neither radical nor unexpected. He had to answer two fundamental issues – a demand for more troops framed in the baldest of terms by his senior commander, General Stanley McChrystal, (without them ...
  3 hours ago

• Did Obamas West Point speech make the case?

  
  Zennie62: The Blog Report On CoLoursTV - Politics News Media Tech Blog — Authority: 146
  Guessing at the response of the audience on hand -- some of which will likely end up fighting in Afghanistan or Pakistan -- based on a few selected shots of cadets that have been prepping for finals and were there near the end of their day after an evening meal is fairly difficult. I think it’s safe to assume the ...
  3 hours ago

• Did you hear the one about Washington lecturing Afghans on corruption?

  
  Top of the Ticket — Authority: 813
  President Obama , who with his latest troop moves has taken ownership of the 8-year-old war in Afghanistan, has based at least part of his ongoing support on the government there erasing corruption as a condition for such expensive American aid. Good luck with that. Obama cited corruption in his March ...
  3 hours ago

• Why They Hate Us, Part 2

  
  Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines — Authority: 709
  Stephen M. Walt takes the “especially fatuous” Tom Friedman to task for one of his obstinate screeds . By the most conservative estimates, Walt explains, the U.S. has killed 30 Muslims for every American killed by Muslims, extremist or otherwise. It’s more complicated than that, as Walt himself acknowledges, ...
  3 hours ago

• British sailors tell of captivity in Iran

  
  The Guardian - guardian.co.uk — Authority: 988
  • Relief as snatched yachtsmen are released • Tehran accepts illegal entry was mistake Looking relaxed, sunburnt and freshly showered, the five British sailors detained last week when their yacht drifted unintentionally into Iranian waters spoke today of how they had been boarded and blindfolded by the crew of ...
  4 hours ago

• President Obamas Speech On Afghanistan: Bookerista Views

  
  Booker Rising — Authority: 149
  Black moderates and conservatives weigh in on U.S. President Barack Obamas speech last night at U.S. Military Academy at West Point: Kenneth Durden: "More Troops For Afghanistan" The libertarian-conservative blogger opines about last nights speech : "President Obama will send 30,000 additional troops to ...
  4 hours ago

• What does Afghanistan 3.0 mean?

  
  The Western Experience — Authority: 474
  by JasonI suppose 18-months could be next to eternity considering the circumstances. I imagine spending 18-months in prison would seem like a very long time. Being out of work, or confined to a bed for 18-months would seem like torture, I’m sure. Sending 30,000 troops around the world and equipping, feeding, ...
  4 hours ago

• US troop surge met in Afghanistan with cynicism and conspiracy theories

  
  The Guardian - guardian.co.uk — Authority: 988
  Despite Barack Obamas face featuring prominently on the evening bulletins on the various televisions positioned around one of central Kabuls large and grimy restaurants, tonight few of the diners were taking any notice of the news that an extra 30,000 US troops would be arriving in Afghanistan soon. "It is just a ...
  4 hours ago

• Pepe Escobar: Obama’s Vietnam-lite + Obama’s “empire”

  
  Dandelion Salad — Authority: 519
  Dandelion SaladTheRealNewsDecember 02, 2009Pepe Escobar: It’s not Vietnam, said Obama, but neither it is what he said it is. President Obama’s widely expected surge in Afghanistan is the “gift” US taxpayers received right in the middle of the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. The Pentagon ...
  4 hours ago

• After sleeping on it, Twitter folks still upset about Obamas Afghanistan speech

  
  Top of the Ticket — Authority: 813
  The initial reactions to President Obama s speech last night werent positive. Well let em sleep on it, we thought, and check back in the morning. Well, after a night of reflection, the buzz on Twitter hasnt gotten any more pro-war. The tweets are in, and Obamas plan to dispatch an additional 30,000 U.S. troops into ...
  4 hours ago

• Pakistan presents conundrum for US

  
  The Guardian - guardian.co.uk — Authority: 988
  Anti-US feeling running high as CIA drones take a civilian toll It is one of the ironies of Americas war: while close to 100,000 troops will soon be deployed inside Afghanistan, Obamas core enemy – the men who plotted the 9/11 attacks – are located across the border in Pakistan. In his West Point speech, Obama ...
  4 hours ago

• Theres a reason why Obama has to persuade his own party to support his Afghan plan

  
  Shadow Government — Authority: 638
  By Kori Schake I disagree somewhat with my friend PeterFeaver about the presidents plan for Afghanistandeserving the support of us loyal opposition. It deserves only our qualified support; there are some quite badelements that deserve our pressure for improvement. The presidents judgment as reflected in his ...
  5 hours ago

• Pusillanimous Lack of Leadership by President Obama at West Point [Reader Post]

  
  Flopping Aces — Authority: 654
  Last night at West Point, President Obama had a golden opportunity to demonstrate that the world’s only superpower is lead by a tough, determined, world leader, able to make difficult decisions. Instead, President Obama chose to take a hedged, triangulated position between those in America that support the war in ...
  5 hours ago

• Afghanistan: Obama’s Speech and Reaction

  
  Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) — Authority: 439
  President Obama delivered a speech yesterday at West Point that delineated his new strategy  in Afghanistan, stipulating a troop surge of 30,000 soldiers that will begin to withdraw after 18 months.  The new strategy consists of three complementary efforts of the military, civilians, and a stronger ...
  5 hours ago

• California Reps. -- Waters, McKeon, Issa, others -- weigh in on Obamas Afghan troop plan

  
  Top of the Ticket — Authority: 813
  Californias is the largest state delegation in the House of Representatives -- 34 Democrats, 19 Republicans -- so you can always expect a diversity of opinion from its ranks. That’s certainly the case as representatives react to President Obama’s call for 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan . Some say he’s going ...
  5 hours ago

• Ron Paul on Iraq, Afghanistan: “You Paid Too Much.”

  
  Liberty Maven Liberty Maven: For Liberty, One Individual At A Time — Authority: 564
  Ron Paul appeared on Fox Business News earlier today to discuss Obama’s decision last night to continue the Bush efforts of fighting them “over there”. As usual, he speaks the truth in the face of the propagandists.
  6 hours ago

• Turkey: Questioning the Future

  
  Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) — Authority: 439
  Soner Cagaptay examines the seven years of AKP rule in Turkey for the Washington Institute.  He writes that the AKP started out as a moderate Islamist movement indifferent to Turkey’s E.U. hopes, but with European Court of Human Rights decision to uphold the Turkish ban on headscarves and the military’s failed ...
  6 hours ago

• A Tale of Two Quagmires

  
  The Primate Diaries — Authority: 606
  Bill Moyers Journal - LBJs Road to War, Part 1 Novemeber 20, 2009 Bill Moyers has this brilliant piece of journalism pointing out the similar difficulties faced by President Johnson in Vietnam and President Obama in Afghanistan. Quite obviously there are important differences, but the basic issues are the same. ...
  6 hours ago

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