CUB Soundslides

For those holiday travelers...

It seems the U.S. government is suggesting an isolationist approach when it comes to foreign policy of the individual American citizen. Among others, the U.S. government is discouraging its citizens from traveling to Thailand right now, due to the recent protests and the fact that all international airports in Thailand have been brought to a standstill.

Here's an article from CNN that quoted statements from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, who are both basically saying "make our lives easier and stay home."

For those unfamiliar with the current political situation in Thailand, the people of Thailand are having trouble getting multibillionaire media tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra's sticky little fingers out of their government. He was elected Prime Minister in 2001, but when he didn't keep his promises, he was ousted (peacefully) out of office by protestors in 2006 only to be replaced by...his brother-in-law.

Obama picks his team

Though it had been expected for several days, President-elect Obama officially announced his selections for secretary of defense, secretary of state, and national security advisor. In the linked story, David Sanger for the New York Times wrote that this team represents a shift a foreign policy priorities. In the story, one of Obama's senior advisers is quoted as calling the cabinet, "the great foreign policy experiment of the Obama presidency."

When campaigning, a lack of foreign policy experience was one of the most common criticisms Obama faced. The team of Clinton, Gates, and Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, make up for this to an extent with their combined experience.

Here is a full list of Obama's cabinet and other high-profile postions including those already filled and those pending.

Foreign Policy is a top priority for 2009

The chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been organizing their priorities for this next year, and U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen was kind enough to share his perspective with Media-Newswire.com in this article.

As they should be, foreign policy issues have found a place at the top of the U.S. to-do list.

Other People's News

Good morning.

I guess you could say I'm one of those "both sides of the coin" people, in that I enjoy seeing all the perspectives that connect to make the whole.

On that note, take a look at this.

It's an article from the Hindustan Times about their perspective on Obama being our next president.

Is President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy dangerous for America?

Some people are worried about President-elect Barack Obama foreign policy plan because he wants to have talks with leaders in Iran and other Middle East country leaders. They are worried it will put our country at greater risk.

Obama and Clinton may be more similar than they realize

Here's a brief yet interesting article on how President elect Barack Obama's views on foreign policy may not be as different from Hilary Clinton's as many think.

The article seems to be more a column than a news piece, but it poses some thought-provoking ideas nonetheless.

Check it out here.