Rate Obama's Foreign Policy Efforts One Year Later (SURVEY)

November 4th marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama's election. The international community paid particularly close attention to Obama's presidential campaign and the election of 2008. During his first year in office, he has grappled with pressing global issues. He has given a major address to the Muslim world in Cairo, attempted to broker Mideast peace and deliberated over a new Afghan war policy.

The HuffPost wants to know what people in the international community think of Obama's performance to date. Have you been watching Obama this past year? How do you think he has done so far in terms of U.S. foreign policy? Has he met your expectations? How has he changed your view of the United States? Which foreign policy issue should he have focused more on? What should he have differently?

Fill out this survey with your responses. The deadline is midnight on November 2nd. The HuffPost will publish the most insightful and thoughtful responses on November 3rd

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Comments

[hemara]

3/3
Globally I think much of the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Republicans were ousted, certainly in Australia where we had also recently voted out our conservative Prime Minister, John Howard. In the period before March 2003 polls indicated 74% of Australians were opposed to the invasion of Iraq, yet as a US ally we dutifully sent troops to search for WMDs that were obviously never going to be found.
The promise of the Obama campaign, "Change we can believe in" is yet to be fulfilled and given the power of the lobbyists and private sector over the US government it's hard to see how that change will be implemented. It doesn't seem possible without significant campaign finance reform and I've not heard much about that from Obama.
The GOP seems to be in a death spiral, hellbent on derailing Obama and oblivious to their 20% and falling approval ratings. Their self-destruction is the only possible manifestation of the belief that "the ends justify the means".
For now, for me, it's "wait and see" if this intelligent man can navigate through the minefield that is US politics.

[hemara]

2/3
The Bush/Chene­y/Rumsfeld idea of exporting democracy to Middle East countries was breathtaking in it's naivety - or cynicism, depending on your assessment of the motivations for going to war (twice).
While I think westerners can clearly see the differences between Obama and Bush, for many in the Middle East and elsewhere it must appear that US imperialism continues unabated. And perhaps to date, that assessment is right. At least Obama seems to understand the nuances of the situation. Is there a single person on the planet (other than Bush) who actually believed "they hate us for our freedoms" ?
A just resolution of the Israel/Palestine crisis could go a long way in restoring US credibility in the region. As it is the US significantly lacks credibility in the Middle East given the large amounts of aid it supplies to Israel.
More broadly, the US has hardly been a good role model for developing nations for "democracy", given more than 50 years of high-level interference in the politics of other nations, starting with Iran and Guatemala in the early 1950s and continuing in various nations to the present day. I hope under Obama such interference will finally cease and the US leads once again by example only, not military force and black ops. Only under such circumstances will the US be able to speak with moral authority about the overwhelming benefits of democratic governance.

[hemara]

my windbag response to the survey question:
1/3
After 8 catastrophic years of Bush/Chene­y/Rumsfeld­, including two disastrous wars and an avoidable economic meltdown I must say I don't envy the Obama administration, what a mess they have inherited. After one year I think it's a little early to pass judgement on Obama, though broadly he seems to be moving in the right direction.
The Cairo and Iranian New Year addresses were an important first step in resetting relations between the US and muslim peoples around the world. He did the right thing in timetabling a withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. Afghanistan presents a larger problem in the long term and the question of US strategy in the country is yet to be answered. We're all waiting for Obama to articulate what a victory in Afghanistan would look like, and following that an assessment of whether achieving that victory is viable or even desirable.

[royevatom]

Mr. Obama was elected by the people of the United States after nearly two years of difficult campaign. By rejecting the conservative authoritarian regime and politics as usual the people have told the world that there is change coming and it does not involve domination and ideology that is archaic. The President has initiated a Domestic agenda that has been neglected. There has been an attempt by his Administration to have our Government address the Economy and the Health Care problems the nation faces. He has addressed issues in Europe and the Mideast and is attempting to deal with the problems of military occupation of two nations. If you are unsatisfied with this much, I don't have any idea what would please you.

[Giordano Bruno]

He has made one important change. The level of discourse has been elevated, the level of vitriol accordingly decreased. The rhetoric is (to quote George Herbert Bush) is gentler and kinder. However the policies have not changed greatly. Wall Street Reform is an oxymoron. The Health Care Debate is a joke and progress on gay civil liberties is shabby at best.

I think he lacks timerity, and worse, he doesn't show the kind of loyalty to his constituents at the same level his predecessor gave to his. And it appears that the same scoundrels are continuing to feather their nests at our expense, and worse, those of future generations. It is a squandered opportunity at best and a betrayal of the public trust at worst.

I am so disgusted I hung up on the Democratic Party soliciters this weekend. Something I used to reserve only for Republican solicitors. GB

[MosheDayanHero]

The reasons for present disappointment are unrealistic expectations, inability to see through the election campaign rhetoric and manufactured public persona.
People with a sober assessment of situation always knew that Obama is a centrist Democrat with little political and diplomatic experience. In Europe he would fit in very well with Christian Democrats.
I don't mean that as critisim, this is simply the reality. Move on...

[foxisms]

There appears to be very little "moderate" to the moderation on the comments on this story.
The pattern that seems to be becoming obvious is that content isn't just with held for it's appropriatness, but just as often it is deleted or delayed in order to steer the dialog in favor of someone elses direction rather than that of those who are providing the conversation.
Very frustrating.

[foxisms]

Considering all that is on his plate and the fact that he hasn't completed his first year as POTUS, I wouldn't grade him using that criteria.
Efforts and intention to end the occupations in the M.E. is less than commendable, however.
And the last 24 hours does not place him or this country on a path to greatness given he has offered his congratulations to a regime known to have altered the outcome of their very first democratic election and quite likely coerced the opposition in the run off which the Karzai regime should have been disqualified from, to drop from contention.
Our POTUS did no one any good turn by acknowledging, legitimizing and congratulating the more than questionable integrity of the less than honorable leadership of Afghanistan.
Sorry. The lowest possible grade for that gaff.

[foxisms]

Considering all that is on his plate and the fact that he hasn't completed his first year as POTUS, I wouldn't grade him using that criteria.
Efforts and intention to end the occupations in the M.E. is less than commendable, however.
And the last 24 hours does not place him or this country on a path to greatness given he has offered his congratulations to a regime known to have altered the outcome of their very first democratic election and quite possibly coerced the opposition in a run off to drop from contention.
Our POTUS did no one any good turn by acknowledging, validating and congratulating the more than questionable integrity of the puppet leadership of Afghanistan.
Sorry. The lowest possible grade for that gaff.

[Hank10303]

First of all the question is misleading and not representative of the facts in play pertinent to the question.

November 4th was the election but fact is he was not president until January 20th, 2009; however he can be credited with ending the flare up in the Israel settlements (that fighting came to a truce on January 19th at the Presidents request.

Second, in real time he has been President for exactly 9 months and one week. Where, when, and who has the media or any other pundits affiliation expected and surveyed a President's record after less than 10 months in office?

Third let me list a few of the things his presidency has accomplished and I ask what other president has equalled his record in less than 10 months.

Ended in truce the Israeli settlement issue; Pirates on the sea's - ordered the rescue of merchant; ship; altered the "death to America" perception of most Muslims world wide; Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, and Iran now have ongoing talks with our country (previously nonexistent); has gotten Russia to agree, with 4 other nuclear powers, to a new round of disarmament and has gotten Russia to stand down on its development and deployment of anti-attack missiles aimed at the U.S. and middle East.

I'll be looking forward to a list of Presidents that have done as well in less than 10 months.

[candyc]

I completely agree. If Obama sneezes, there is someone ready to jump all over him.
I think he's working really hard. I would appreciate a little more audacity, but so far, so good.

[GrizzlyBowman]

I'm not impressed with Barack so far but I'm keeping the stopwatch running.

[mamacat]

If the choice is between an Amerian administration which sees that there are problems, and is willing to work with others toward their solution, and an administration which in most cases not only does not see that problems exist, but is busy creating new ones (such as unnecessary wars), then I will choose the administration which sees a problem and tries to fix it. Next question?

[freshnotbitter]

"work with others" - this story shows that we are not working with others as well as we could. it concerns EU which is having a colloquy with USA in Washington this week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/world/europe/02europe.html?ref=world

The problem is that in the old days the USA and their allies understood that the overwhelming issue at hand was East/WestCold War. When the war ended, the USA devolved into a K Street foreign policy, thanks to the corrupt Clinton regime, and Bush really had nothing to add but more
K Street nostrums.


What is lacking is a leader with vision who understands these things and is willing to get his hands dirty and get personally involved. FDR forced Churchill to sign over all his empire then he moved Churchill into the White House where Churchill slept and lived and drank whisky and smoked cigars whileFDR and Roosevelt had a great time planningHitler's demise.

Nowadays the President takes 5 phone calls from K Street then calls his security advisors and tells them to do what they are told.

It is a prescription for drift to oblivion and bankruptcy, if not catastrophe.

[Moshe]

In the short term President Obama has both notably successes and failures.

He is a uniquely talented person with incredibly potential for good.

But in the longer term, it will be his failure to reinstate the Rule of Law that will be most remembered because it will be the most damaging failure.

Richard Cheney and others spent 8 years intensely working to undermine the Rule of Law in this Nation, and they were wildly successful, with an end result of illegal endless wars, massive undemocratic concentrations of wealth and power, virtual 100% corporate control of our government, a ruined economy, the establishment of a police state/torture state,and zero accountability because of their virtual abandonment of the Rule of Law.

President Obama promised change.

But with the change in power, there has been no change in fact, and no evidence that this is forth coming.

This will be his dark legacy if not changed.

[MosheDayanHero]

Too early to tell. The problems inherited from Bush are simply too large to solve in one year.
There were some positive developments. Certainly, the hopes of the left wing were ( predictably) not realized.
But some liberal bourgeois wishes on the fringes of real issues were granted.
Internationally, Obama achieved a timid nothing. But this was expected given his dearth of political exprience.
Wait and see... and hope for the best.

[Moshe]

I share your hope my friend.

Shalom.

[ranchero42]

How is Obama doing? Since Michael Steele has been consistently wrong about all things political; I say POTUS must be doing great.

Maybe its an imperfect yardstick; but when the RNC Chair is flying off in several directions at once hoping the entertainment factor alone wins seats for the GOP, I'll take POTUS.

The political gymnastics involved in the simultaneous conditions of counting-c­hickens-be­fore-they'­re-hatched mode as well as whistling-­past-the-g­raveyard mode would be breathtaking if I wasn't in ROTFLMAO mode.