Council for a Livable World

Political action to reduce nuclear threats

  • Elections
    • Senate Candidates
    • House Candidates
    • Political News and Notes
    • Political Analysis
    • Who We’ve Helped Elect
  • Legislation
    • Key National Security Legislation
    • National Security Legislative Calendar
    • Legislative Analysis
    • Legislative Achievements
  • Take Action
    • Issues
    • Join Our Email List
    • Become a Member
  • About
    • Staff
    • Press
    • Newsletter
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Blog / Obama’s top four foreign policy priorities

September 16, 2008

Obama’s top four foreign policy priorities

At the Truman event today, top Obama adviser and former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry said that Barack Obama considers four foreign policy challenges to be his top priorities.  

At the Truman event today, top Obama adviser and former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry said that Barack Obama considers four foreign policy challenges to be his top priorities:

1. Rebuilding the American military and ground forces

  1. Stopping a New Cold War from developing between the U.S. and Russia
  2. Preventing nuclear terrorism
  3. Dealing with global warming and developing alternative sources of energy, since America’s oil dependency has become a legitimate national security threat

Perry said that the Bush-McCain policy of isolating Russia won’t work because the U.S. needs to cooperate and communicate with Russia in order to achieve vital national security goals. Like it or not, Perry said, the U.S. must work with Russia to deal with Iran, fight international terrorism, and secure vulnerable fissile material that could be used by terrorists to build nuclear weapons.

This is the exact same point that Council for a Livable World executive director John Isaacs made when he appeared on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer last week to discuss U.S. missile defense in Europe.

To address the threat posed by climate change, Perry said that Obama plans to invest $150 billion in alternative energy. Besides saving the environment, moving towards alternative energy will mean that the U.S. is no longer subject to the whims of oil producing nations like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. These countries all too often use their enormous oil wealth to militarize and threaten their neighbors.

— Travis

Posted in: Blog

Tweets by Livable World

Recent Posts

  • ‘Increases the risk of nuclear escalation’: statement on the NDAA committee approval June 23, 2022
  • Council: Front and Center: June 18, 2022 June 18, 2022
  • Top 11 critical races June 15, 2022
  • House Elections: Democratic and Republican Target Seats June 14, 2022
  • Council: Front and Center: May 21, 2022 May 21, 2022
Council for a Livable World logo

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.543.4100

Elections

  • Meet The Candidates
  • 2020 Senate Candidates
  • 2020 House Candidates
  • Who We’ve Helped Elect

Legislation

  • Key National Security Legislation
  • National Security Legislative Calendar
  • Legislative Achievements

Take Action

  • Issues
  • Join Our Email List
  • Become a Member

About

  • History & Mission
  • Staff
  • Press
  • Newsletter
  • Boards & Experts
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2022 Council for a Livable World
Privacy Policy