Throughout out the course of this semester we have seen the development of the role of the presidency. We have seen the president evolve from essentially a very weak president in the 19th century to a president that has an enormous control over our government. One thing that has been amazing to see is the development of the president’s control in foreign affairs. From the Monroe Doctrine to the current role the president serves in foreign affairs, we have seen the president’s power in foreign policies increase in the last century and a half. As we look at the past, it serves as a great guideline to see how the president should govern in the future when it comes to foreign affairs.
President Obama inherited two wars when he was inaugurated last year and his governing style in relations to foreign affairs will be very important in the next couple of years. We will see just how his governing style will affect the outcomes of two wars, the relationships between other nations, and the threats that come from several other states. We saw just last week that President Obama has decided to continue with the push regarding to the war in Afghanistan. This role as the leading official in the development of the war in Afghanistan will prove to be significant for President Obama, and based on the outcome and future of Afghanistan, we will see just how important the decisions are for the president when it comes to foreign affairs.
President Obama’s decisions regarding foreign policies will be important, because the global community has had a change of heart for the new President. Over the last eight years, the United States was viewed as a global bully to other nations. With the invasion of Iraq and our more aggressive actions taken by former president Bush, the global community had a very high level of anti-American sentiment toward us. Another issue that has certainly helped with anti-American sentiment is the fact that we are the largest consuming nations in the world. These issues have caused the United States to have a very negative and poor relationship with the global community, but with that said we see a new opportunity and a new hope for President Obama to turn that perception around.
I think that President Obama has a real opportunity to change the perception of America and to show the global community that we really are a peaceful nation that does look out for the interests of other nations. I think that President Obama has made some progress with trying to rebuild our relationships with the global community. I think one of the first great opportunities President Obama had to change the global community’s perception of the United States was when he gave his speech in Egypt and addressed it to the Muslim community. Over the last eight years there was a sense that the United States hated the Muslim community, but I think that President Obama’s speech was a great step in the right direction to reestablish our relationship with the Muslim community. Another situation that I believe was great for rebuilding our relationships with the global community was his tour of the different Asian nations. What should be noted was the President’s infamous bowing before the Emperor of Japan. Some people believe that it was a sign of weakness, but I believe it was a genuine sign of humility. By trying to reestablish the perception of the United States, I believe we can accomplish a lot, and I think that President Obama will do great things to help with our relationships with the global community.
I think you’re right Matt, that Obama does have a good opportunity to repair relationships with the global community. Over years of aggression and being the world’s police officer, America’s reputation and standing has been hurt. Most of the Middle East is believed to hate us for what we symbolize, for being the great Satan of the west. Being a minority, many other countries reported seeing Obama’s election as a good thing. Also, Obama’s willingness to compromise in order to build cooperation, I think will help the rest of the world to not see America as the bully that it once was.