Barack Obama on Foreign Policy
Barack’s Vision of American Security in the 21st Century
Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning. In 2002, as the conventional thinking in
Washington lined up for war, Obama had the judgment and courage to speak out against the war. He said
the war would lead to “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undeter-
mined consequences.” In January 2007, Obama introduced legislation to responsibly end the war in Iraq,
with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged in combat operations. Today, Obama has a plan to immedi-
ately begin to pull out troops engaged in combat operations at a pace of one or two brigades every
month, to be completed by the end of 2008. He would call for a new constitutional convention in Iraq,
convened with the United Nations, which would not adjourn until Iraq’s leaders reach a new accord on
reconciliation. He would use presidential leadership to surge our diplomacy with all of the nations of the
region on behalf of a new regional security compact. And he would take immediate steps to confront the
humanitarian disaster in Iraq.
Obama will rebuild and reshape America’s military for the challenges of the 21st century. He will increase
the size of the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marines by 27,000 troops. Under an Obama administra-
tion, American troops would not only have the most advanced technology, but also have the language,
cultural and counterinsurgency skills to meet 21st-century threats. Obama will use our armed forces
wisely, clearly define their missions, seek out the advice of military commanders, evaluate the intelligence,
and ensure that our troops have the resources they need.
Obama will marshal a global effort to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. Obama has a plan to secure
all nuclear weapons and material at vulnerable sites around the world within four years. He will fully
implement legislation he passed with Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) to stop nuclear smuggling, address
threats posed by North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear program and create an international fuel bank to
discourage the production of weapons-grade nuclear fuel. Obama also will work with Russia to take as
many nuclear weapons off Cold War hair-trigger alert as possible and negotiate reductions in U.S. and
Russian nuclear arsenals.
Barack Obama will restore America’s leadership abroad, reform and enhance international organizations
and strengthen our alliances. He will strengthen NATO to face 21st-century threats, forge a new and
lasting framework for collective security in Asia, and work with other countries around the world to
combat global climate change.
Barack Obama believes that strengthening weak states at risk of collapse, economic meltdown or public
health crises strengthens America’s security. Obama will double U.S. spending on foreign aid to $50
billion a year by 2012. He will help developing countries invest in sustainable democracies and demand
more accountability in return. Obama will establish a $2 billion Global Education Fund to eliminate the
global education deficit. He will reduce the debt of developing nations and better coordinate trade and
development policies. Obama also will reestablish U.S. moral leadership by respecting civil liberties;
ending torture; restoring habeas corpus; making the U.S. electoral processes fair and transparent and
fighting corruption at home.
