Issues in US Foreign Policy Essay Example

Issues in US Foreign Policy Essay Example Issues in US Foreign Policy Essay Issues in US Foreign Policy Essay Current Issues in US Foreign Policy Within the term of each and every presidency, both the President and his staff make several crucial decisions regarding the the United States and its relationship with other nations. On the surface, such decisions may seem simple to make. However, this is not so. Many variables must be taken into account before each accord. Currently, several conflicts exist, ultimately which will need to be dealt with by President Obama and his administration in the coming months. Some notable ssues include Afghan security talks, Iranian negotiations, and drone use. While many Americans believe that the war in Afghanistan will soon cease, the United States will continue to be maintaining military outposts in Afghanistan. With the intention to fght al-Qaeda, the twenty five page document Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement Between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will be debated in Kabul. The text itself is a working draft, having been revised several times since its conception in July 2013. Since its creation n July, the document has most notably adopted a restriction on US forces, stating that they [cannot] search any homes or other real estate properties and additionally may not make any detention or arrest (Engel). Most recently, President Hamid Karzai has stated that an exception can be made for extraordinary circumstances if President Obama agrees to issue an apology and acknowledgement of past mistakes in Afghanistan, with a promise not to repeat such actions (Nordland). The agreement must pass by the Loya Jurgi, a grand Jury, before being instated (Engel). Elsewhere in the Middle East, the US is currently undergoing negotiations with Iran. Currently the US and its allies are attempting to convince Iran to give up its significant nuclear activities in exchange for relief on sanctions. Under such a negotiation, Tehran would be subjected to more vigorous inspections. If the agreement is violated, the sanctions relief would be subject to reinstatement. Currently, the exact sum which would be given for relief is unknown (Madhani). Next week, the US, Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany will meet with Iranian fficials in Geneva (A1 Jazeera). However, Iran has expressed wariness due to the recent attacks on their embassy in Beirut. The series of bombings led to the deaths of two Iranians, one of them a diplomat. Currently, Iran has accused Israel of launching the attacks (Yahoo! News). These events will certainly factor into the US relationship with both Israel and Iran. Another controversial issue with US foreign policy is its use of unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones. Currently the drones are being used in Pakistan and Yemen in order to confront al-Qaeda leadership. It is estimated that 349 drone strikes have been carried out in Pakistan, with 61 in Yemen. The effectiveness of drones and drone strikes has been challenged as only 2% of the strikes have killed high level targets, according to The New America Foundation (Levs). However, the US is not the only country employing the use of drones. France, Germany, and other European nations recently formed a drone users club to rival the use of drones by the US and Israel (Breitbart). Useful but debatable in effectiveness, the issue of ith the new drone club. The Obama administration will certainly have its challenges to face in the coming months with these issues at hand. A1 Jazeera. Iran Minister Optimistic over Nuclear Deal. A1 Jazeera. A1 Jazeera, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Breitbart. Europeans Form Drone Club, Want to Compete. Breitbart News Network. Breitbart News Network, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Engel, Richard. Endless Afghanistan? Us-Afghan Agreement Would Keep Troops in Pla ce and Funds Flowing, Perhaps Indefinitely. NBC News. NBC News, 2013. eb. 19 NOV. 2013. Levs, josh. CNN Explains: U. S. Drones. CNN. cable News Network, 08 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Madhani, Aamer. Obama Asks Senators to Give Iran Negotiations a Chance. USA Today. Gannett, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Nordland, Rod. Key Issue Said to Be Resolved in U. S. -Afghan Security Talks. The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Yahoo! News. Iran Accuses Israel of Being behind Beirut Bombings. Yahoo! News. Yahoo! , 19 NOV. 2013. web. 19 NOV. 2013.