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The Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration is the foreign policy of the United States from January 20, 2009 onward under the administration of President Barack Obama. Some of Obama's major foreign policy advisors include Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, National Security Advisor James L. Jones, and United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice. Obama's overall foreign policy philosophy has been postulated as "The Obama Doctrine" by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, which Dionne stipulates as "a form of realism unafraid to deploy American power but mindful that its use must be tempered by practical limits and a dose of self-awareness."^[1]

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in Rome, at the Quirinale Palace, after a meeting with the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

History

Background

During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama advocated a phased redeployment of troops out of Iraq within 16 months of being sworn in as president.^[2] In order to accomplish this Obama stated that he would, based on the conditions on the ground, redeploy between one and two battalions a month.^[3] Some of the forces would return to the U.S., while others would be redeployed as part of a focus on the broader region including Afghanistan and Pakistan to confront terrorism.^[4] Obama gave his first major foreign policy speech of his campaign on April 23, 2007 to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, in which he outlined his foreign policy objectives, stressing five key points:

1. "bringing a responsible end to this war in Iraq and refocusing on the critical challenges in the broader region,"
2. "by building the first truly 21st century military and showing wisdom in how we deploy it,"
3. "by marshalling a global effort to meet a threat that rises above all others in urgency – securing, destroying, and stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction,"
4. "rebuild and construct the alliances and partnerships necessary to meet common challenges and confront common threats," and
5. "while America can help others build more secure societies, we must never forget that only the citizens of these nations can sustain them."

During his campaign, Obama emphasized the importance of diplomacy and development as tools to aid the U.S. in building new and even stronger alliances, re-building broken relationships and repairing the United States image abroad.^{[citation needed]} In addition, he stated that one of his foreign policy objectives was to combat global poverty, generate wealth and build educated and healthy communities as a means to combat extremism.^{[citation needed]}

President-elect Obama nominated former rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to serve as his Secretary of State on December 1, 2008, and chose to keep Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as his Secretary of Defense. He would appoint General James L. Jones to serve as his National Security Advisor and nominate Governor of Arizona Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security.

Clinton stated during her confirmation hearings that she believed that "the best way to advance America's interests in reducing global threats and seizing global opportunities is to design and implement global solutions" and "We must use what has been called "smart power," the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural — picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of our foreign policy."^[5]

During the days and weeks leading up to his inauguration there were several major world conflicts, including a crisis between Israel and Palestinians, specifically Hamas, in Gaza. The 2008–2009 Israeli-Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas resulted in an unstable cease-fire on January 18, 2009, two days prior to Obama's inauguration.

Initial themes

In his inaugural address, Obama, elaborating on his foreign policy, suggested that he hoped to begin the process of withdrawing from Iraq and continuing to focus on the conflict in Afghanistan. He also mentioned lessening the nuclear threat through "working tirelessly with old friends and former foes." He spoke about America's determination to combat terrorism by proclaiming that America's spirit is "stronger and cannot be broken — you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." To the Muslim world, Obama extended an invite to "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." He also said we would be willing to "extend a hand" to those "who cling to power through corruption and deceit" if they "are willing to unclench" their fists.^[6]

Obama added that, "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man — a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake."^[6] Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed this during the first major foreign policy speech of the administration, on February 7, 2009, when he proclaimed that there "is no conflict between our security and our ideals. They are mutually reinforcing. The force of arms won our independence, and throughout our history, the force of arms has protected our freedom. That will not change. But the very moment we declared our independence, we laid before the world the values behind our revolution and the conviction that our policies must be informed by a “decent respect for the opinions of mankind."

On his first full-day as president, January 21, 2009, Obama called President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority, Prime Minister Olmert of Israel, King Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt.^[7] At the same time, Obama called on Israel to open the borders of Gaza, detailing early plans on his administration's peace plans for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.^[8] Obama and Secretary of State Clinton named George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East peace and Richard Holbrooke as special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan on January 23, 2009.^[9] The Mitchell appointment signalled that Clinton might stay away from the direct Secretary-level negotiating that her predecessor, Condoleezza Rice, had spent much effort on during the previous two years.^[10]

Within less than a week in her new position, Secretary of State Clinton had already called almost 40 foreign leaders or foreign ministers.^[11] She said the world was eager to see a new American foreign policy and that, “There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world. We’ve got a lot of damage to repair.”^[11] She did indicate that not every past policy would be repudiated, and specifically said it was essential that the six-party talks over the North Korean nuclear weapons program continue.^[12]

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives at the State Department on her first day greeted by a standing room only crowd of Department employees.

Clinton re-emphasized her views during her first speech to State Department employees when she said, "There are three legs to the stool of American foreign policy: defense, diplomacy, and development. And we are responsible for two of the three legs. And we will make clear, as we go forward, that diplomacy and development are essential tools in achieving the long-term objectives of the United States. And I will do all that I can, working with you, to make it abundantly clear that robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America's future."^[13] Clinton also soon visited the United States Agency for International Development, where she met employees and said they would be getting extra funds and attention during the new administration.^[12]

Obama visited the State Department two days after his inauguration, where he said he wanted to "make sure that everybody understands that the State Department is going to be absolutely critical to our success in the years to come."^[14] He mingled with the career foreign service officers and spoke to one in the Indonesian language he learned growing up.^[15] Clinton said the visit indicated that Obama was "through word and deed, sending a loud and clear signal that diplomacy is a top priority."^[15]

On January 26, Obama gave his first formal interview as president to the Arabic-language television news channel Al Arabiya.^[16][17] Obama said that, "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy."^[16] Obama mentioned that he had spent several years growing up in the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia, and called for resumed negotiations between Israel and Palestinians.^[16] Obama's gesture in reaching out to the Muslim world was unprecedented for a U.S. president.^[17]

President Obama has already visited more countries during his first year in office than any other president. His trip to Denmark, that failed to convince the International Olympic Committee to award the 2016 Summer Olympic games to Chicago, made Denmark the sixteenth country Obama visited since becoming President on January 20, 2009.^[18]

Appointments

The administration appointed, or allowed to remain in office, 2,465 ambassadors. Most were career diplomats. 805 were political appointees. 110 of 150 ambassadorships were political in the Caribbean; 259 out of 358 appointees in Western Europe were political. Career diplomats dominated all other areas including: North and Central America, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East, East Asia, South Asia and Oceania. In Central Asia, all appointees were career.^[19]

Africa

While Africa is a continent the countries of Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Western Sahara are not considered to be part of sub-Sahara Africa and therefore aren't associated with Africa for the foreign policy purposes of the United States but are instead considered to be part of the Near East (commonly referred to as the Middle East) when talking about United States foreign policy. Depending on the source these countries may or may not be included when talking about African foreign policy.

During the 2008 campaign Obama outlined his priorities for developing an Africa policy including taking action to stop "what U.S. officials have termed genocide in Darfur, fighting poverty, and expanding prosperity." ^[20] Some analysts believed that Obama's appointment of Susan Rice who is a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was a sign that his administration would prioritize the continent.^[20]

Then Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, in a January 13 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the "foreign policy objectives of the Obama administration in Africa" as being "rooted in security, political, economic and humanitarian interests." ^[21] She went on to say that the administration priorities would include "combating al-Qaida's efforts to seek safe havens in failed states in the Horn of Africa; helping African nations to conserve their natural resources and reap fair benefits from them; stopping war in Congo; [and] ending autocracy in Zimbabwe and human devastation in Darfur." ^[21]

Darfur, Eastern Congo, Ghana and Zimbabwe have all played a significant role in the United States Africa policy. Some foreign policy analysts believed that conflicts in "Sudan, Somalia, and eastern Congo" would "eclipse any other policy plans." ^[20]

President Obama visited Cairo, Egypt where he addressed the "Muslim world" on June 4 ^[22] and followed this trip with his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa, as President, on July 11, 2009 where he addressed Ghana's Parliament.^[23]

He was followed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who took a seven nation trip to Africa in August including stops in Angola, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. Some foreign policy analysts have made the claim that this is the "the earliest in any U.S. administration that both the president and the secretary of state have visited Africa." ^[24]

Somalia

One of the first actions of the Obama administration was to sign a memorandum of understanding with Kenya that would allow pirates captured off of Kenya's coast to be tried in Kenyan courts.^[25][26]

A group of 4 armed Somali pirates took Richard Phillips, a captain of an American cargo ship, hostage on April 8, 2009 during a failed attempt to take over the Maersk Alabama.^[27] President Obama ordered the U.S. military to conduct a rescue mission to free Phillips who was held hostage by the pirates for five days. He was rescued on April 12, 2009 by United Stated Navy SEALS who killed three pirates and obtained the surrender of a fourth, Abdul Wali Muse.^{[28][29][30] [31][32]}

The Obama administration's reaction and response to the kidnapping of Phillips has been commended as well as criticized while others downplay his role in the rescue of Richard Phillips.^[33][34][35]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the Somalia President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, on August 6 during her African trip.^[36]

The New York Times reports in a September 17, 2009 article that "Much of the world is counting on Sheik Sharif to tackle piracy and beat back the spread of militant Islam, two Somali problems that have flared into major geopolitical ones" and that "Just this week, American commandos killed a Qaeda agent in southern Somalia in a daylight helicopter raid." This occurs at the same time as a drought which has caused many Somali's to face starvation in this war-torn country which has gone through several governments since 1991.

Opposition forces include al-Shabab which controls the Somalia capital of Magadishu with the exception of a few blocks within the center of Mogadishu which is controlled by the Transitional Government of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

There are also reports that the United States may increase its arms shipment to Somalia from 40 tones to 80 tons.^{[citation needed]} While other reports indicate that some of these weapons may have fallen into the hands of al-Shabab.

There have also been claims by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that neighboring Eritrea may be providing support and arms to al Shabab during her August trip to Kenya where they held a meeting and joint press conference.   Eritrea has denied these claims.  

Zimbabwe

Obama is a strong critic of the government of Zimbabwe led by President Robert Mugabe. Although Obama congratulated longtime opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on becoming Prime Minister of Zimbabwe under a power-sharing agreement, U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood warned, "We need to see evidence of good governance and particularly real, true power sharing on the part of Robert Mugabe before we are going to make any kind of commitment" to lifting economic sanctions on the impoverished Southern African country, which has been ruled by Mugabe since independence in 1980.^[37]

After the death of Susan Tsvangirai, the prime minister's wife, in an automobile collision in central Zimbabwe on March 6, 2009, the U.S. State Department expressed condolences to Tsvangirai, who also received minor injuries in the wreck.^[38]

Asia

East Asia

President Barack Obama addresses the opening session of the first U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Listening at left are Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, center, and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, left.

For purposes of U.S. foreign policy, East Asia consists of Burma (Myanmar), China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left on her first foreign policy tour (to Asia) on February 15, 2009 including scheduled stops in Japan, China, South Korea, Philippines, and Indonesia.^[39]

In a speech given February 13, 2009, Clinton said that "some believe that China on the rise is, by definition, an adversary", but "[t]o the contrary, we believe that the United States and China can benefit from and contribute to each other's successes. It is in our interests to work harder to build on areas of common concern and shared opportunities."^[39] Clinton left on her first foreign policy tour (to Asia) on February 15, 2009 including scheduled stops in Japan, China, South Korea, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Prior to leaving on her tour of Asia, Clinton remarked, "We see the Chinese economic relationship as essential to our own country, so we're going to consult and work in a way that will be mutually beneficial." ^[40] Clinton attracted criticism, though, when she suggested that U.S. criticism of the human rights record of the People's Republic of China should not be allowed to "interfere" with cooperation with Beijing on resolving global economic, environmental, and security crises.^[41]

On April 1, 2009, Obama and Hu Jintao announced the establishment of the high-level U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue co-chaired by Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner on the U.S. side and Dai Bingguo and Wang Qishan on the Chinese side.

On May 16, 2009, Obama personally announced his intention to nominate Jon Huntsman, Jr., the Republican Governor of Utah to fill the position of Ambassador to China. Huntsman was the only ambassador in the Administration to be personally announced by the President.^[43] Huntsman said that he and President Barack Obama believe that the United States' relationship with China is its most important in the world.^[44]

The high-level Strategic and Economic Dialogue was held on July 27–28, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner represented the U.S. side with Dai Bingguo and Wang Qishan on the Chinese side.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton made a high-profile trip to China on November 15–18, 2009 marking Obama's first visit to China. It was Obama's first presidential Asia trip since he was inducted. He also went to Japan, Singapore for the APEC summit and South Korea for the first U.S.-ASEAN summit. These visits and summits show the emphasis being placed on consultation with international stakeholders before making decisions that affect regional issues as part of initiatives to remove obstacles to closer ties with ASEAN. The United States Pacific Command have also been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen military relationships in the region.^[45]

South Asia

Asif Ali Zardari, Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai during a US-Afghan-Pakistan trilateral meeting

For purposes of U.S. foreign policy, South Asia consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Obama administrations's South Asian foreign policy was outlined in "The Obama Administration's Policy on South Asia" by Robert O. Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, who wrote "[o]ur goal was and remains to support the development of sovereign, stable, democratic nations, integrated into the world economy and cooperating with one another, the United States, and our partners to advance regional security and stability." ^[46]

At the start of the Obama administration there were several regional hot spots within South Asia including Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Several conflicts exist within the region including an ongoing war in Afghanistan and an ongoing conflict in North-West Pakistan.

President Obama with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the first state dinner hosted by the Obama administration.

Blake described Obama's views of the "international effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single theater of immense strategic importance to security - not only of the United States - but of the world." He goes on to say "Afghanistan and Pakistan are two distinct countries, but we cannot succeed in either Afghanistan or Pakistan without stability in both."^[46] The Obama administration believes that "Afghanistan and Pakistan can be a bridge that links South and Central Asia, rather than a barrier that divides them" and that "much work remains to be done to turn that vision into a reality.^[46] On February 18, 2009, Obama announced that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would be bolstered by 17,000 new troops by the summer.^[47] Obama also ordered the expansion of airstrikes to include the organization of Baitullah Mehsud, the militant chief reportedly behind the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto,^[48] as priority targets.^[49] Some foreign policy analysts consider this to be a continuation and/or an expansion of the Bush administration's foreign policy in Pakistan.^[49]

There is also tension between India and Pakistan who both possess nuclear weapons.^[51][52] This conflict has been ongoing since August 1947 when India and Pakistan were created from British India.^[53] Recent developments in this conflict involve the Kashmir region with Pakistan controlling the northwest portion, India controlling the central and southern portion and China controlling the northeastern portion of Kashmir. Criticism has been leveled at the Obama administration for its apparent lack of an early response to U.S. foreign policy with India. The former director for South Asia in the National Security Council in the Bush administration, Xenia Dormandy claims that India is America's indispensable ally in the region and that the Obama administration should take steps to improve relations with India.^{[54][55][56][57][58]}

Europe

Middle East

For purposes of U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East consists of Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria.

After his inauguration the Obama administration was confronted with addressing on-going conflicts in Iraq, Israel-Gaza, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Other foreign policy issues related to the Middle East included combating terrorism, and promoting development and democracy. Obama appointed several Special Envoys including a Special Envoy for Middle East peace (George Mitchell) and a Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan (Richard C. Holbrooke).

Following the example of the United States several other European nations appointed special envoys to Afghanistan and Pakistan including Germany who appointed Bernd Mützelburg and the United Kingdom who selected Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles as its special envoy to the two countries.^[59][60]

President Obama changed the timeline of withdrawing troops from Iraq within 16 months of his taking office as outlined in the election to 19 months after taking office.

Western Hemisphere

Brazil

On November 7, 2008, three days after the election of Barack Obama, Al Jazeera English ran a feature story on the excitement and inspiration the election of the United States' first African American president was generating in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, which has never elected a black president despite having a sizable black and mulatto population. "For the black community here, it represents advancement for us as well - and makes us think seriously of the possibility in Brazil of having a black president," the article quoted an Afro-Brazilian woman as saying.^[61]

After the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which contained a "Buy American" clause, was made U.S. law with strong backing from Obama, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim warned that his country could mount a legal challenge to U.S. economic protectionism, which has become an issue due to the late 2000s recession and which Brazil ardently opposes, at the World Trade Organization.^[62]

President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first Latin American leader to meet with Obama, participating in a joint press conference in the Oval Office and discussing energy policy with the American chief executive.^[63]

Cuba

During his presidential campaign in 2008, Obama asserted that his policy toward Cuba would be based on "libertad", promising that as President of the United States, he would push the Cuban government to embrace democratic reforms and free political prisoners.^[64] After his election, former Cuban President Fidel Castro said he was "open" to the idea of meeting with the president-elect.^[65] However most of his policies towards Cuba are unchanged from the Bush policies.^[66]

After Obama announced the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp shortly after his inauguration, Cuban President Raúl Castro said Havana would continue to push for the U.S. to "liquidate" the entire Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and return the land to Cuba.^[67] He was joined by his vehement brother Fidel, who abandoned his magnanimity toward the new U.S. president and demanded that the base be retroceded to Cuba.^[68]

While the United States House of Representatives passed legislation, backed by Obama, to ease certain travel and cash transactions imposed against Cuba by the U.S., on February 25, 2009, the president continues to oppose lifting the embargo against Cuba.^[69] Obama professes to view the embargo as a useful tool for leverage on pushing for reform in Cuba.^[70] Obama's stance has met criticism from both Fidel Castro^[71] and members of the U.S. government, including ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar.^[72] A panel with the Washington-based Brookings Institute released a report in late February 2009 urging Obama to normalize relations with Cuba.^[73]

On June 2, leading a delegation to Honduras for the Organization of American States General Assembly, Clinton affirmed that Cuba needs to reach a certain political and democratic standard to rejoin the organization.^[74]

Honduras

On June 28, 2009, President Manuel Zelaya was arrested and exiled from the country. Obama condemned the action and described the event as a coup.^[75] On July 7, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Zelaya and agreed upon a U.S.-backed proposal for negotiations with the Micheletti government, mediated by President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica.^[76] At the conclusion of the meeting, Clinton announced the suspension of economic and military aid to the Honduran government.^[77] However, the U.S. led a group of Western Hempishere countries supporting the outcome of November 2009 presidential election of Porfirio Lobo as a way forward to resolve the situation.^[78]

Venezuela

While Barack Obama set a conciliatory tone for his relations with Venezuela during his candidacy, saying he would be willing to meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez without preconditions at a July 23, 2007, presidential debate,^[79] the Venezuelan leader has been fickle in his opinion of Obama. Even during the election he varied from liking Obama to saying that nothing would change with the US.

On February 15, 2009, Chávez said, "Any day is propitious for talking with President Barack Obama,"^[80] but said later that month that he "couldn't care less" about meeting the new U.S. president^[81] ahead of an impending confrontation between the two leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, in mid-April.^[82]

Chávez derided Obama as "a continuation of the Bush era" after a U.S. report on narcotics trafficking was released in late February 2009. "Don't mess with me, Mr. Obama," warned Chávez, who has been president of Venezuela since 1999.^[83]

However as recently as the first week of March Chavez called upon Obama to follow the path to socialism, which he termed as the "only" way out of the global recession. "Come with us, align yourself, come with us on the road to socialism. This is the only path. Imagine a socialist revolution in the United States," Chavez told a group of workers in the southern Venezuelan state of Bolivar. He said that people were calling Obama a "socialist" for the measures of state intervention he is taking to counter the crisis, so it would not be too far-fetched to suggest that he might join the project of "21st century socialism" that the Venezuelan leader is heading.^[84]

Later in March he referred to Obama as a "poor ignoramus" for not knowing the situation Latin America and even implied that Brazil's President Lula was not completely happy with his meeting with Obama. However the Brazilian Foreign Ministry denied that this was the case.^[85]

In Tokyo in early April, where he attended meeting to discuss trade deals with the Japanese, Chavez said he was not biased against the Obama administration and he fully supported the idea of a 21st century free from conflict.^[86]

In Trinidad on April 17, 2009, Obama and Chavez met for the first time, with the former asking in Spanish, "Come Estas?" Later, Chavez walked over to Obama during the summit, and handed him a copy of The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano, an essay about U.S. and European economic and political interference in the region. During the summit, Obama is reported to have said, to much applause, "We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms, but I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations."

Other issues

Climate change

On January 27, 2009, Secretary of State Clinton appointed Todd Stern as the department's Special Envoy for Climate Change.^[87] Clinton said that, "With the appointment today of a special envoy we are sending an unequivocal message that the United States will be energetic, focused, strategic and serious about addressing global climate change and the corollary issue of clean energy."^[88] Stern, who had coordinated climate change policy in the late 1990s under the Bill Clinton administration, said that "The time for denial, delay and dispute is over.... We can only meet the climate challenge with a response that is genuinely global. We will need to engage in vigorous, dramatic diplomacy."^[88]

In February 2009, Stern said that the U.S. would take a lead role in the formulation of a new climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December 2009. He made no indication that the U.S. would ratify the Kyoto Protocol in the meantime.^[89]

Muslim Relations

President Obama's first trip to a Muslim majority country occurred on April 6–7, 2009 when he visited Turkey and spoke to the Grand National Assembly.^[90]

President Obama addressed the Muslim world in a speech in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2009.^[22] In that speech President Obama issued a call for "a new beginning" in the relationship between the United States and Muslims around the world. He outlined his ideas about "engaging the Muslim world" and how to create "a new beginning."

Farah Pandith was appointed as the State Department's "first ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities" and was sworn in on September 15, 2009.^[92]

She describes her responsibilities as including actively listening and responding to "the concerns of Muslims in Europe, Africa, and Asia." ^[92]

On February 13, 2010, President Obama appointed Rashad Hussain, an Indian-American Muslim,^[93] as the United States special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.^[94] After the appointment, President Obama stated, "Rashad has played a key role in developing the partnerships I called for in Cairo. And as a Hafiz_(Qur'an) of the Quran, he is a respected member of the American Muslim community, and I thank him for carrying forward this important work." ^[95][96]

See also

• Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State

References

External links

• The Obama Moment: European and American Perspectives European Union Institute for Security Studies
• Will Obama Push China Harder? by Howard LaFranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, January 8, 2009
• Hope, Criticism Greet Obama in Turkey by Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, April 6, 2009
• Obama Opens Door to Cuba, but Only a Crack by Sheryl Gay Stoleberg & Damien Cave, The New York Times, April 13, 2009
• Obama Sees Positive Signs from Venezuela, Cuba by Ben Feller, Associated Press, April 19, 2009
• Obama and Latin America by Greg Grandin, The Nation, April 22, 2009
• Obama Presses Two-state Solution in U.S.-Israel Talks by Matt Spetalnick and Jeffrey Heller, Reuters, May 18, 2009
• Obama Offers Iran 'New Beginning' BBC News, March 20, 2009
• President Obama Heads to Ghana On First Official Trip to Sub-Saharan Africa - video by Democracy Now!
• Video: U.S. President Barack Obama's 2009 Ramadan Message - Official White House Greeting

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