The Candidates and The World

Transition 2012

A guide to foreign policy and the 2012 U.S. presidential transition.

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Video Brief Roundup: India, Africa, and Latin America

by Newsteam Staff

These videos are from a series with CFR fellows on vital foreign policy and national security topics that will face President Barack Obama in his second term. They were recorded during the campaign and originally posted as part of the President’s Inbox, a collection of materials on issues that will face the next president beginning next year.

Daniel Markey on India

The incoming administration must be prepared for “a significant potential for near-term crisis” between India and its historical rival Pakistan, says CFR’s Daniel Markey. The president will also have to engage with India on top foreign policy priorities including Iran’s nuclear program and the U.S. departure from Afghanistan, Markey says.

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Views From Abroad: Africans Blog About U.S. Elections

by Newsteam Staff
A truck driver prepares for evening prayers as trucks queue up at a border crossing in Noe, Ivory Coast September 24, 2012. (Thierry Gouegnon/Courtesy Reuters) A truck driver prepares for evening prayers as trucks queue up at a border crossing in Noe, Ivory Coast September 24, 2012. (Thierry Gouegnon/Courtesy Reuters)

In this week’s Views, we head to the Ivory Coast, where Venance Konan writes for Le Temps that Africans from several countries have mixed reviews of President Obama. Read more »

Views From Abroad: A South African Take on the U.S. Race

by Toni Johnson
Cityscape of Cape Town in South Africa, February 17, 2010. (Courtesy Reuters) Cityscape of Cape Town in South Africa, February 17, 2010. (Courtesy Reuters)

On this weeks’ Views, we head to South Africa. In an interview with CFR’s Bernard Gwertzman, Moeletsi Mbeki, a prominent political economist and brother of former South African President Thabo Mbeki, offers his perspective on campaign 2012. He says South Africans feel a “special relationship” with the Democratic Party for its history of support for the anti-apartheid movement and are favorable toward President Obama because of his commitment to democracy in Africa: Read more »

Tracking the Issues: Religion as a Foreign Policy Force

by Newsteam Staff
An Ohio nun wears a voting sticker next to her crucifix on Super Tuesday in Steubenville, Ohio, March 6, 2012 (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters). An Ohio nun wears a voting sticker next to her crucifix on Super Tuesday in Steubenville, Ohio, March 6, 2012 (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters).

Religion and faith have already come into play on the campaign trail, not just in the run-of-the-mill quizzing of candidates on their beliefs but also how their views on religion and religious freedom will shape their policy overseas.

In Foreign Affairs, Andrew Preston says the Obama administration has “placed religion front and center” in important foreign policy speeches, but with little follow through. Read more »

Weekly Video Brief: Africa

by Toni Johnson

This week’s video brief focuses on what the winner of the 2012 presidential election faces on Africa policy. CFR’s John Campbell says, “It’s going to be important for a new administration to make room for African issues on the bilateral agendas it has with other countries.” Watch below:

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