Obama will now only be able to be effective in the foreign policy area. He can forget domestic reforms now. I'm sure they knew that at best 2-3 major items would get through such as healthcare.

That said, he should concentrate on ending the two wars and showing that his party can make fiscal cuts in that area. The key is to be able to successfully sell and market the savings to the American public.

If he does not do this, like when he lost the debate and TV screen face time during the healthcare fights, it will be another lost opportunity to cash in on something big.

I think anything with Israel/Mideast needs to be treated with care and some distance. Getting out the wars before 2012 with some time to spare to get some meaningful results to show Americans and he can avoid losing more seats. All this is given that he can get lucky with the economy.

Thanks, Prof. Walt, for these sensible and comforting words, very much needed today. Being an European, I am rather worried about the developement in the U.S., because, after all, America sets the agenda.

However, the mood when the President delivered the Cairo speech is gone.

By the way, I just received my copy of "America´s Misadventures" by Mr Freeman, which you recommended the other day.

This is a rather narrow view, to say the least. The President will now face much larger difficulties getting even relatively small foreign assistance increases through Congress, including for programs on which he has staked his and this country's credibility, like the Global Health Initiative. We can expect the Republicans to insist on funding cuts for PEPFAR, the Global Fund and other programs, undermining progress to the MDGs. And at the same time postponing further the development of better drugs and vaccines for TB (since much of the funding for that is supposed to come out of USAID's budget), which are things we could use here in the US as well.

Though it would've been fun to watch Christine O'Donnell on C-SPAN refer to different countries by the type of hats they wear and point to maps saying: There be dragons!

It's a good thing international climate negotiations under the UNFCCC (next stage Cancun) have nothing to do with American foreign policy.... :P

'Cause otherwise the millions of dollars that European, Middle-Eastern, and Indian energy companies donated to help get Tea Party climate deniers elected and take back the House would preclude the impossibily of any climate change legislation or legally-binding carbon cuts to be enacted in the US. This would mean the country with the most historic responsibility for climate change, and with the hightest per capita carbon consumption in the world (by a large margin) could bring nothing to the table. This would mean that gridlock in Washington DC would once again be transferred to gridlock in the global fight to stop climate change, a fight whose clock is rapidly ticking down...

Until something grabs the headlines. But I am worried about what the Republicans might do when they get the power in the House. The presidents initiatives like START2, the Israeli-Palestinian talks, Iran and Afghanistan just might hit some bumps in the road.

I just hope Obama doesn't take his eye completely off the world stage while he battles with the Republicans on his domestic agenda.

Alliteration trumps all! And "B" comes early in the alphabet.

Just a couple of years ago, Barack Obama appeared as the great hope for a modern America, one that was willing to admit its mistakes and to do some soul-searching as to whether they were fighting a just war in Iraq. It was that debate that perhaps led Obama to become president. He also promised hope for an economy on the brink of ruin. And his promise to bring back the troops from Iraq struck a chord with the voters eager for a change of policy from the Neo conservative-dominated US administration to a more liberal one willing to consider toning down America’s costly foreign wars that have, according to some estimates, crossed the three trillion dollar mark.

Despite that the wars in the far away lands have been showing no signs of a breakthrough - perhaps because of the extra baggage inherited from the Bush administration. No one could have expected Obama to perform miracles, but it appears that the American people are already showing signs of a change of heart.

With a Republican comeback likely in the mid-term polls, it is clear that Obama may not have a chance of winning the next elections. With that in mind, the outcome of the war in Afghanistan will be crucial to the Democrats to regain some of the lost support.

Lost war

Everyone in this part of the world is already wondering if all these political changes will not make the Obama administration more hawkish with regard to its policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many, in fact, admit the war in Afghanistan is lost.

Almost 10 years since the conflict began, it is ordinary Afghans who have paid the dearest price and perhaps borne the brunt of the US strikes. True Osama and his key friends may have sought sanctuary in Afghanistan, but not a single Afghan was responsible for what happened on 9/11.

As the images of the tragedy unfolded in New York on that fateful day of September 11th, 2001 I was able to watch the event on the only television set in Kabul, the Afghan capital, where TVs were banned. I remember vividly Pakistan’s military attaché in Kabul telling me: "The Afghans were introverted fundamentalists. They had never taken part in acts of terror overseas, never hijacked a plane or took hostages in foreign capitals, but the American intervention in Afghanistan would one day risk ... turning them into extroverted fundamentalists with a global agenda."

For the past few weeks there has been an intense barrage of reports of behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try and find a political settlement to the Afghan problem as the deadline for the beginning of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is due to begin in 2011. There are also unconfirmed reports that several senior Taliban leaders - alleged to be under custody in Pakistan - were recently flown to Kabul for a specially arranged meeting with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Quick rebuttal

The main agenda was how to divide the Taliban and drive a wedge in Taliban ranks in the Eastern Provinces, where the Americans are locked in some of the fiercest battles. The US believed the Haqqani Network has been active and playing a leading role in carrying out attacks against American forces in Afghanistan from across the border in Pakistan.

The Americans also believe that the network - now run by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the legendary commander Jallaudin Haqqani - is harbouring the number two al-Qaeda leader, Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri. The number one man, Osama bin Laden, was also reported to have taken residence in a plush house somewhere in the tribal regions. The reports angered Islamabad and there was a quick rebuttal from Pakistan which said that if the Americans knew so much why did they not take him out with their drones. After all, the drones were buzzing the skies over the tribal regions and striking targets on the ground on an almost daily basis.

Some of the top commanders who served in senior positions in the Taliban government, such as Maulvi Kabir, are said to have been involved in the alleged secret talks. There were earlier reports that Maulvi kabir was arrested by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) which seldom confirms such reports.

However, according to our sources and experience, any venture by Maulvi Kabir to take on the Haqqani network - an integral component of the Taliban in Afghanistan led by the reclusive but determined Mullah Omar, the supreme commander of the Taliban forces - would be tantamount to suicide.

Spreading the war

Some experts say that if any senior Taliban commander were to join Karzai against the wishes of Mullah Omar, it would not help solve the problem but would instead further divide Afghanistan. Already militias were being armed to take on the Taliban but if history was anything to go by, the same weapons could easily be pointing towards the Americans.

That underscores the importance and the wide following that the elder and now reportedly ailing Jallaludin Haqqani enjoys support in vast stretch of territory on both sides of the Pakistani and Afghan frontier. His loyalists are said to be much stronger in Afghanistan.

In the early days of the war I went into Pakistan's tribal areas to report on the bombardment of Zawar Kalay, just across the border from North Waziristan after the American led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. I drove across the border the following year into Paktia in Afghanistan, and I was able to note that while the Americans ruled the skies over Afghanistan, the Taliban were already regrouping on the ground.

Since then they have come a long way. Far from being defeated, they have been able to spread the war from the West to the East and from the North to the south of the country . A far cry from the days when American intelligence reported they had surrounded Mullah Omar in the mountains of Afghanistan and were about to kill or capture him.

Just a couple of years ago, Barack Obama appeared as the great hope for a modern America, one that was willing to admit its mistakes and to do some soul-searching as to whether they were fighting a just war in Iraq. It was that debate that perhaps led Obama to become president. He also promised hope for an economy on the brink of ruin. And his promise to bring back the troops from Iraq struck a chord with the voters eager for a change of policy from the Neo conservative-dominated US administration to a more liberal one willing to consider toning down America’s costly foreign wars that have, according to some estimates, crossed the three trillion dollar mark.

Despite that the wars in the far away lands have been showing no signs of a breakthrough - perhaps because of the extra baggage inherited from the Bush administration. No one could have expected Obama to perform miracles, but it appears that the American people are already showing signs of a change of heart.

With a Republican comeback likely in the mid-term polls, it is clear that Obama may not have a chance of winning the next elections. With that in mind, the outcome of the war in Afghanistan will be crucial to the Democrats to regain some of the lost support.

Lost war

Everyone in this part of the world is already wondering if all these political changes will not make the Obama administration more hawkish with regard to its policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many, in fact, admit the war in Afghanistan is lost.

Almost 10 years since the conflict began, it is ordinary Afghans who have paid the dearest price and perhaps borne the brunt of the US strikes. True Osama and his key friends may have sought sanctuary in Afghanistan, but not a single Afghan was responsible for what happened on 9/11.

As the images of the tragedy unfolded in New York on that fateful day of September 11th, 2001 I was able to watch the event on the only television set in Kabul, the Afghan capital, where TVs were banned. I remember vividly Pakistan’s military attaché in Kabul telling me: "The Afghans were introverted fundamentalists. They had never taken part in acts of terror overseas, never hijacked a plane or took hostages in foreign capitals, but the American intervention in Afghanistan would one day risk ... turning them into extroverted fundamentalists with a global agenda."

For the past few weeks there has been an intense barrage of reports of behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try and find a political settlement to the Afghan problem as the deadline for the beginning of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is due to begin in 2011. There are also unconfirmed reports that several senior Taliban leaders - alleged to be under custody in Pakistan - were recently flown to Kabul for a specially arranged meeting with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Quick rebuttal

The main agenda was how to divide the Taliban and drive a wedge in Taliban ranks in the Eastern Provinces, where the Americans are locked in some of the fiercest battles. The US believed the Haqqani Network has been active and playing a leading role in carrying out attacks against American forces in Afghanistan from across the border in Pakistan.

The Americans also believe that the network - now run by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the legendary commander Jallaudin Haqqani - is harbouring the number two al-Qaeda leader, Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri. The number one man, Osama bin Laden, was also reported to have taken residence in a plush house somewhere in the tribal regions. The reports angered Islamabad and there was a quick rebuttal from Pakistan which said that if the Americans knew so much why did they not take him out with their drones. After all, the drones were buzzing the skies over the tribal regions and striking targets on the ground on an almost daily basis.

Some of the top commanders who served in senior positions in the Taliban government, such as Maulvi Kabir, are said to have been involved in the alleged secret talks. There were earlier reports that Maulvi kabir was arrested by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) which seldom confirms such reports.

However, according to our sources and experience, any venture by Maulvi Kabir to take on the Haqqani network - an integral component of the Taliban in Afghanistan led by the reclusive but determined Mullah Omar, the supreme commander of the Taliban forces - would be tantamount to suicide.

Spreading the war

Some experts say that if any senior Taliban commander were to join Karzai against the wishes of Mullah Omar, it would not help solve the problem but would instead further divide Afghanistan. Already militias were being armed to take on the Taliban but if history was anything to go by, the same weapons could easily be pointing towards the Americans.

That underscores the importance and the wide following that the elder and now reportedly ailing Jallaludin Haqqani enjoys support in vast stretch of territory on both sides of the Pakistani and Afghan frontier. His loyalists are said to be much stronger in Afghanistan.

In the early days of the war I went into Pakistan's tribal areas to report on the bombardment of Zawar Kalay, just across the border from North Waziristan after the American led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. I drove across the border the following year into Paktia in Afghanistan, and I was able to note that while the Americans ruled the skies over Afghanistan, the Taliban were already regrouping on the ground.

Since then they have come a long way. Far from being defeated, they have been able to spread the war from the West to the East and from the North to the south of the country . A far cry from the days when American intelligence reported they had surrounded Mullah Omar in the mountains of Afghanistan and were about to kill or capture him.

Source : Aljazeera .net/english

Just a couple of years ago, Barack Obama appeared as the great hope for a modern America, one that was willing to admit its mistakes and to do some soul-searching as to whether they were fighting a just war in Iraq. It was that debate that perhaps led Obama to become president. He also promised hope for an economy on the brink of ruin. And his promise to bring back the troops from Iraq struck a chord with the voters eager for a change of policy from the Neo conservative-dominated US administration to a more liberal one willing to consider toning down America’s costly foreign wars that have, according to some estimates, crossed the three trillion dollar mark.

Despite that the wars in the far away lands have been showing no signs of a breakthrough - perhaps because of the extra baggage inherited from the Bush administration. No one could have expected Obama to perform miracles, but it appears that the American people are already showing signs of a change of heart.

With a Republican comeback likely in the mid-term polls, it is clear that Obama may not have a chance of winning the next elections. With that in mind, the outcome of the war in Afghanistan will be crucial to the Democrats to regain some of the lost support.

Lost war

Everyone in this part of the world is already wondering if all these political changes will not make the Obama administration more hawkish with regard to its policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many, in fact, admit the war in Afghanistan is lost.

Almost 10 years since the conflict began, it is ordinary Afghans who have paid the dearest price and perhaps borne the brunt of the US strikes. True Osama and his key friends may have sought sanctuary in Afghanistan, but not a single Afghan was responsible for what happened on 9/11.

As the images of the tragedy unfolded in New York on that fateful day of September 11th, 2001 I was able to watch the event on the only television set in Kabul, the Afghan capital, where TVs were banned. I remember vividly Pakistan’s military attaché in Kabul telling me: "The Afghans were introverted fundamentalists. They had never taken part in acts of terror overseas, never hijacked a plane or took hostages in foreign capitals, but the American intervention in Afghanistan would one day risk ... turning them into extroverted fundamentalists with a global agenda."

For the past few weeks there has been an intense barrage of reports of behind-the-scenes diplomacy to try and find a political settlement to the Afghan problem as the deadline for the beginning of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is due to begin in 2011. There are also unconfirmed reports that several senior Taliban leaders - alleged to be under custody in Pakistan - were recently flown to Kabul for a specially arranged meeting with the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Quick rebuttal

The main agenda was how to divide the Taliban and drive a wedge in Taliban ranks in the Eastern Provinces, where the Americans are locked in some of the fiercest battles. The US believed the Haqqani Network has been active and playing a leading role in carrying out attacks against American forces in Afghanistan from across the border in Pakistan.

The Americans also believe that the network - now run by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the legendary commander Jallaudin Haqqani - is harbouring the number two al-Qaeda leader, Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri. The number one man, Osama bin Laden, was also reported to have taken residence in a plush house somewhere in the tribal regions. The reports angered Islamabad and there was a quick rebuttal from Pakistan which said that if the Americans knew so much why did they not take him out with their drones. After all, the drones were buzzing the skies over the tribal regions and striking targets on the ground on an almost daily basis.

Some of the top commanders who served in senior positions in the Taliban government, such as Maulvi Kabir, are said to have been involved in the alleged secret talks. There were earlier reports that Maulvi kabir was arrested by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) which seldom confirms such reports.

However, according to our sources and experience, any venture by Maulvi Kabir to take on the Haqqani network - an integral component of the Taliban in Afghanistan led by the reclusive but determined Mullah Omar, the supreme commander of the Taliban forces - would be tantamount to suicide.

Spreading the war

Some experts say that if any senior Taliban commander were to join Karzai against the wishes of Mullah Omar, it would not help solve the problem but would instead further divide Afghanistan. Already militias were being armed to take on the Taliban but if history was anything to go by, the same weapons could easily be pointing towards the Americans.

That underscores the importance and the wide following that the elder and now reportedly ailing Jallaludin Haqqani enjoys support in vast stretch of territory on both sides of the Pakistani and Afghan frontier. His loyalists are said to be much stronger in Afghanistan.

In the early days of the war I went into Pakistan's tribal areas to report on the bombardment of Zawar Kalay, just across the border from North Waziristan after the American led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. I drove across the border the following year into Paktia in Afghanistan, and I was able to note that while the Americans ruled the skies over Afghanistan, the Taliban were already regrouping on the ground.

Since then they have come a long way. Far from being defeated, they have been able to spread the war from the West to the East and from the North to the south of the country . A far cry from the days when American intelligence reported they had surrounded Mullah Omar in the mountains of Afghanistan and were about to kill or capture him.

Source : Aljazeera .net/english

Obama once indicated he would reach out to Iran. He didn’t. He still can and if he does it could lead to unravelling several knots. The standoff is not really about nuclear weapons but since that has been the US rationale all along, it can now be maintained to provide the key to rapprochement.

Iran has indicated a willingness to restart talks over the nuclear dispute later this month. This meeting should be allowed to appear really positive, and that only requires the US gloss over the issue of what further stocks of uranium Iran may have enriched over the last year.

The door, then, if not yet quite ajar, would no longer be locked.

Next we need to rumour a proposed conference at which both Iran and the US will join others in a dialectical exchange on Afghanistan etc. Such a rumour will get the experts blogging and the commentators pontificating, and the air filled with excitement

Meanwhile the agreed fuel exchange in Turkey can be raised to circus status with Obama and Ahmadinejad jointly cutting the ribbon, balloons released and rockets (Relax, Tel Aviv, not those ones!) lighting the skies.

A few steps more and the Obama armour is shining again while the US is seen not to have retreated but rather to have been joined by others willing to share the ongoing burden. Since Iran requires neither money nor arms from the US, the exercise need cost nothing while estimates of the associated savings and the troops returning home will give the electorate a glow.

Now, let’s have another look at that Israel/Palestine business.

While I agree that the economy does define our ability to influence others in global affairs, I am convinced that the biggest problem the United States faces is political corruption and the inability for members of both parties, but ESPECIALLY the Republicans, to do what is right for the nation through compromise instead of moving continuously forward with political strategies to satisfy their power lust.

As a result of their ill-intent driven motivations, the rest of the country suffers. If the two parties cannot come to an agreement on what needs to happen, or what is more accurate to say, if the GOP will not stop endlessly obstructing any agenda that conflicts their own, the economy will NEVER get solved.

Obama has promised so many things to America that he hasn’t followed through with. To me a big thing was bring the troops back home. When in fact they are still over there and not coming home. We are wasting money over there and putting our soldiers lives at risk. Obama has only two more years to do what he promised to America, if he doesn’t change soon he will probably not win his re-election.

I believe that the Republicans can do well for this country and turn things around. I know everyone is saying with the Republican’s in charge now, things are going to get worse then better. The American public clearly voted and has faith that the Republicans will do good for this country or they would not have won the election. They haven’t even taken office yet, so people need to calm down and let them do what they are going to do for this country. I want everyone to stop bashing the Republicans and let them show you what they want to do and why it is better for America.