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Volume IX, Nr. 1 - Winter 2009

Great Expecations

Sidney E. Dean


This issue of Hampton Roads International Security Quarterly is dedicated to candidate Barack Obama’s foreign and security policy statements made during his campaign. They provide insight into his priorities and his way of thinking, and can serve as a measuring rod by which to gauge the actual course of his administration.

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A World That Stands as One


Barack Obama

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama in Berlin, Germany on July 24, 2008, outlining his foreign and security policy views and his expectations regarding European contributions to alleviate global crises.

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Confronting 21st Century Threats

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s strategy for confronting 21st Century threats, as presented by theObama campaign on September 23, 2008.

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A Stronger Partnership With Europe for a Safer America

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s policy for relations with Europe, including NATO and the European Union, as presented by the Obama campaign on June 27, 2008.

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A Strong Record of Supporting the Peace, Security and Prosperity of Israel

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s policy regarding US-Israeli relations, as presented by the Obama campaign on September 11, 2008.

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Protecting US Interests and Advancing American Values in Our RelationshipWith China

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s plan for engagement with China, as presented by the Obama campaign on September 11, 2008.

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Strategy to Promote Global Development and Democracy

Barack Obama et al

As presented by the Obama campaign on September 11, 2008.

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Defense Issues

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s defense priorities and policies, as presented by the Obama campaign on September 11, 2008.

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Strengthening Homeland Security

Barack Obama et al

Barack Obama’s plans for strengthening US homeland security, as presented by the Obama campaign on October 17, 2008.

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‘Great Expectations


Sidney E. Dean


As Barack Obama enters the White House, people at home and abroad look to him for leadership and solutions amid a myriad of crises and causes. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the stabilization of Iraq and Afghanistan, the global war on terrorism,mounting Russian neo-imperialism, a modernizing Chinese military, the financial crisis - the list seems endless.

Despite his newcomer status to national and international politics, many people in America and around the world believe President Obama can andwill handle these issues successfully. A poll taken in late December 2008 revealed that even half of those voters who opposed Obama’s election expressed confidence in him.

As candidate, Barack Obama did issue many policy statements on a wide rangeof issues. History shows that few presidents are able to stick closely to their campaign agendas once elected. Events “on the ground”, changing political climate, and sometimes even the realization that their original position was wrong force all chief executives to adjust their positions and continue adjusting them for the duration of their administration. What greater example than George W. Bush, who entered the Oval Office a critic of “nation building”?

Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to take a closer look at Barack Obama’s policy statements during his campaign. They provide insight into his priorities and his way of thinking, and can serve as a measuring rod by which to gauge the actual course of his administration. This issue of Hampton Roads International Security Quarterly is therefore dedicated to candidate Barack Obama’s foreign and security policy statements.

The first contribution , “A World That Stands as One”, is a verbatim transcript of Senator Obama’s famous Berlin speech held on July 24, 2008. It is perhaps the most significant of the eight contributions in this issue because Obama is addressing the worldat large, and Europe in particular. During that speech Obama states two vital points clearly: his view that the United States and Europe are and should be one another’s closest partners, and his expectation that Europe as a whole - and leading nations like Germany in particular -dedicate greater military and financial resources to stabilizing global hot spots.The remaining seven contributions detail Obama’s perceptions and intentions regarding specific foreign and security policy areas. All of these were made public by the Barack Obama election committee (www.barackobama.com) during the course of the 2008 presidential campaign.

As always, we wish you interesting reading.

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