Special Report: Obama's first 100 days in White House

Special Report: Barack Obama: The 44th U.S. President

Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008

    By Matthew Rusling

    WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- During his first 100 days in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has shown a friendlier, more diplomatic face than his predecessor did.

    Still, experts are split over whether Obama's foreign policies differ greatly from those of the Bush White House.

    Obama's first 100 days have been eventful. In addition to dealing with the global financial crisis, the president attended major summits in Europe and Latin America in an effort to present the U.S. as a cooperative nation that is ready to listen.

    That approach is what is behind Obama's 61 percent approval rating in foreign policy, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

    "He has made a lot of progress in reconnecting the United States with the world," said Matt Yglesias, a fellow at the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank.

    Peter Zeihan, an analyst at Stratfor, a private intelligence firm, said he is hopeful Obama's efforts will lay the groundwork for better international relations in the future.

    "In terms of style, he has clearly outclassed the Bush administration," Zeihan said. "In terms of substance, however, the first 100 days have shown few foreign policy differences."

    Like Bush, Obama's major objectives abroad include denying the use of Afghanistan as a haven for terrorists and reducing the U.S. military commitment in Iraq by gradually allowing Iraqi forces to take control of security operations, Zeihan said.

    Obama in February announced the deployment of nearly 20,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in a continuation of Bush policy.

    The analyst said the major difference between the two presidents is image.

    "Obviously Obama is better at making an image than Bush and this could be an advantage in getting people to take your calls," he said.

　　NUCLEAR ISSUE ON KOREAN PENINSULA

    A major test for Obama came on April 5 when the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a long-range rocket, sparking an uproar in the international community.

    Obama called the launch a "clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea (DPRK) from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind."

    The president said the United States would immediately consult with its allies in the region, including Japan and South Korea, and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring the matter before the council.

    He also urged Pyongyang to abide by Security Council resolutions and refrain from any more "provocative actions."

    Despite the rhetoric and U.N. sanctions against three DPRK firms, Obama made no efforts to change U.S. policy toward the country, Zeihan said.

    "Ignoring North Korea (DPRK) is explicitly from Bush's book," he said.

    The six party talks -- the main vehicle for dialogue under the Bush administration -- have been ongoing for several years and are expected to continue once DPRK leader Kim Jung-il is ready again.

    Richard Bush, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said a major difference between Bush and Obama is that the new administration places more emphasis on coordination with Japan and South Korea while the old White House tended to work mainly with China.

    Obama's response to the DPRK launch has been more balanced -- he neither overreacted nor made unnecessary concessions -- unlike his predecessor, the senior fellow said.

    "The Bush administration in its first term was too hard-line and engaged in rhetorical overkill and then in the second term made questionable concessions," he said.

    Bush in his first term included the DPRK in the "axis of evil" -- a list of three nations he accused of supporting terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. Bush in his second term removed the DPRK from the list in exchange for the country's promise to halt its nuclear weapons program.

    Jim Carafano, an analyst at the Heritage Center, a Washington-based think tank, is critical of Obama's decision to appear indifferent to Kim, saying that the approach is unlikely to achieve any results.

    NUCLEAR ISSUES INVOLVING IRAN

    Iran is another foreign policy challenge for the Obama White House.

    Obama has expressed a wish to reach out to Iran, with whom the United States has not had normal relations since 1979, and achieve results through dialogue.

    In recent congressional testimony, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized the Bush administration for what she called an eight-year failure to isolate Iran. Bush's approach did nothing to deter Iran from continuing its nuclear weapons program, she said.

    Zeihan said, however, that diplomats from both countries met many times during the Bush administration, albeit not publicly.

    The only change concerning Iran under the new administration is in "public atmosphere, which the Iranians have not been impressed with," he said.

    Obama, like his predecessor, remains unconcerned about Iranian nuclear weapons, he said.

    While Iran may be able to build a nuclear weapon, it lacks the technological skills needed for delivery, Zeihan said.

    "Iran's ability to deliver a nuclear weapon is still 20 years away," he said.

    CUBA

    Experts agree that Obama's position on Cuba represents a significant break from the United States' icy relations with the island nation for nearly the past half century.

    Clinton recently declared that American policy toward Cuba has "failed" -- a sentiment that could set the stage for an end to the47-year U.S. trade embargo.

    Yglesias said that what America has been trying to do with Cuba has not helped the Cuban people and that while only time will tell if Cuba-U.S. relations normalize, the outlook seems positive.

    "So far Raul (Castro) seems to be interested," he said.

    Obama has been compared by some experts to former President Jimmy Carter, who made human rights a pillar of his administration.

    Others, however, have noted that Obama has placed less emphasis on such issues in favor of establishing relationships in order to promote American interests.

    Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger compared Obama to President Richard Nixon because his approach to Iran is reminiscent of how Nixon reached out to China in the 1970s.

    Carafano said Obama's take on international relations appears to be more campaign mode than strategy and policy.

    "Telling other nations what they want to hear may boost his popularity but has done nothing to improve national security," he said, "I don't think they have moved from campaign mode to governing mode."

    Still, Zeihan said Obama has surprised many observers who thought the new president would be more naive in his dealings on the international stage.

    When European nations in early April pledged few new troops to Afghanistan, Obama responded by moving closer to Turkey and away from traditional allies such as Germany. Those nations naturally felt slighted, but Obama had given them their chance, Zeihan said.