New York Times journalist discusses foreign policy challenges facing Obama

By Sissi Aguila

“Does anyone want to be President today?” asked Carol Giacomo, foreign policy journalist and member of The New York Times editorial board. The audience of more than 75 FIU students, faculty members and staff gathered at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center was silent with the exception of a few chuckles that seemed to conclude, “you’ve got to be crazy!”

“Obama did,” added Giacomo. “Now it’s quite a different situation when you take the oath of office. You have to find real solutions to real problems.”

Giacomo, who spoke at FIU as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Global Learning for Global Citizenship lecture series on Nov. 20, presented “The Main Foreign Policy Challenges Facing President Obama: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Threat of Nuclear Weapons.”

First on Obama’s foreign policy agenda, according to Giacomo, is Afghanistan. Conditions in the country have quickly deteriorated and the Obama administration must decide whether to send more troops. Giacomo said more boots on the ground will not help. Yet there may be some positive movement in Pakistan, which Giacomo said seems to be more willing to see the Taliban as a threat as the United States has repeatedly warned.

In Iran, the Obama administration has attempted to reach out to the Tehran government and establish diplomatic relations. This approach has yet to be successful and Giacomo believes that if another resolution is passed, Americans will have to take stronger action such as shutting down Iranian banks.

Violence in Iraq continues to be a major problem for Obama, said Giacomo. There is significant tension in Northern Iraq between the Turks and Kurds. U.S. troop withdrawal and true democracy in the country are contingent on national elections originally scheduled for January. The election was put on hold recently when Iraq’s Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim, vetoed a law needed on grounds that Iraqis abroad were under-represented.

Today’s nuclear challenge in Korea, Giacomo said, is the most daunting facing an American president since the early 1990s. “Koreans always want something in return. Koreans see bilateral talks as a way of elevating their standing in the world,” Giacomo said in response to an audience member’s question.

Giacomo also touched upon the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. “It’s a chess game. You need to get an agreement before you go public with what you want.” She criticized the Obama administration for not having a well-planned strategy.