Critical Regions and Issues Involving U.S. Foreign Policy
By Steve Jones, About.com Guide
Iraq
While the Obama Administration has begun withdrawing US troops from Iraq, the war that the United States began there in 2003 and its fallout continue to occupy much of American foreign policy efforts.
- Iraq War Central
- Profile: Iraq War
- Foreign Policy Political Casualties from the Iraq War
- Foreign Policy Implications of the Iraq War
- Iraq War: Paths Forward
Afghanistan
The US-led war in Afghanistan, which began in November 2001, effectively became "Obama's War" in 2009 when the president ordered a troop surge to roll back gains of the Taliban. In June 2011, Obama announced the beginning of troop withdrawals, but Afghanistan truly remains a critical foreign policy region.
Libya and Africa
Libya dominates much of America's foreign policy attention in Africa, but the US has interests throughout the continent.
Israel, the Middle East, and Persian Gulf
Ensuring security for Israel and securing peace among its neighbors has been a prime part of U.S. foreign policy for over 50 years.
East Asia
From North Korea's sabre-rattling and suspected nuclear weapons program, to China's emergence as one of the world's top economic powers, East Asia remains a focus of US foreign relations.
- Profile: U.S.-North Korean Relations
- Timeline of U.S.-North Korean Relations
- Profile: Christopher Hill
Central and South America
Hostile governments in Cuba and Venezuela, drug and human trafficking, and immigration issues continue to mark US foreign policy issues with the countries of Central and South America and the Caribbean.
Globalization
Much like the shifts at the end of the Cold War, the global order is changing. New powers are challenging America's dominance of world affairs. The so-called "unipolar moment" the United States has enjoyed since 1990 may be coming to an end. How will U.S. foreign policy manage the chain, enhance the opportunities, and mitigate the dangers through this transition to a new era?