Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) burst into the national spotlight with his acclaimed speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He has remained a prominent figure since, elected to the Senate at the end of 2004, gaining a seat on the high-profile Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and becoming an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. Obama's opponents have faulted him for his lack of experience in Washington, however. Prior to his election to the Senate, Obama served as an Illinois state senator for eight years and a community organizer in Chicago before that. Obama says the United States needs to renew its global leadership position through skillful diplomacy, a revitalized military, and by confronting nuclear proliferation, which he calls “the most urgent threat to the security of America and the world.” If elected, Obama, whose father was Kenyan, would be the first African-American president of the United States.

Sen. Obama (D-IL), whose father was Kenyan, has been particularly vocal in the Senate on U.S. Africa policy. He has been especially outspoken regarding policy toward Darfur, traveling to the region with Sen. Brownback. He calls for a no-fly zone over Darfur. In 2005, Obama cosponsored the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. He says he has divested (AP) about $180,000 of his personal financial holdings from Sudan-related stock.

In March 2007, Obama introduced a resolution condemning the government of Zimbabwe for its violence against the opposition. That resolution passed.

With Dodd, Obama cosponsored the March 2007 bill to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to bolster public health efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. That bill has not yet been voted on. Obama told Vanity Fair that as president, he plans to expand PEPFAR “by providing at least $1 billion a year in new money.”

In February 2008, Obama called the power-sharing agreement reached between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga "a vital step forward," but urged coalition members to "make an enduring commitment to democracy, cooperation and national unity."

Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration, CEO of Millennium Villages, a project aimed at fighting poverty in Africa, is a national security adviser to Obama's campaign.

The Obama campaign’s June 2007 memo exposing Clinton’s ties to India sparked an outcry from the Indian-American community. USINPAC denounced Obama’s memo as “the worst kind of anti Indian American stereotyping.” Sen. Obama (D-IL) apologized for the memo, which referred to Clinton as “Clinton (D-Punjab)” (Rediff.com).

Obama voted in favor of the United States-India Energy Security Cooperation Act of 2006.

South Asians for Obama published this list (PDF) of Obama’s stances on issues of interest to the South Asian community in the United States.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) says Guantanamo should be closed and habeas corpus (AP) should be restored for the detainees. He says the United States should have “developed a real military system of justice that would sort out the suspected terrorists from the accidentally accused.”

In February 2008, Obama criticized the prosecution of six Guantanamo detainees charged with involvement in the 9/11 attacks. He said the trials are "too important to be held in a flawed military commission system that has failed to convict anyone of a terrorist act since the 9/11 attacks and that has been embroiled in legal challenges" (SFChron). Instead, Obama said, the men should be tried in a U.S. criminal court or by a military court-martial.

Obama voted against the Military Commissions Act.

Sen. Obama’s response to the NSA spying controversy was mixed. On one hand, he opposed the nomination of former NSA chief Michael Hayden to the position of CIA director because of his role in the warrantless wiretapping program and said that he disapproved of Bush’s avoidance of FISA oversight in the NSA eavesdropping efforts. But on the other hand, like Clinton, Dodd, and Biden, he did not join in Sen. Feingold’s efforts to censure Bush over the warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens.

Obama opposes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that cooperated in warrantless wiretapping of Americans. "No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people," he said in January 2008.Obama did not vote on the FISA Amendments Act in February 2008.

Sen. Obama (D-IL), like his fellow Democratic candidates, has been critical of the Bush administration’s policies relating to the war on terror. In a recent Foreign Affairs article, Obama called the Bush’s response to 9/11 “conventional thinking of the past, largely viewing problems as state-based and principally amenable to military solutions.” As a result of the actions taken under the auspices of the war on terror, Obama says, “the world has lost trust in our purposes and our principles.”

Instead, Obama says, U.S. efforts in the Middle East should focus on empowering “forces of moderation” by increasing “access to education and health care, trade and investment” and support for civil society. Like Clinton, Obama says the government’s priority should be preventing terrorist groups from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.

In a August 1 speech, Obama called for a greater counterterrorism focus on Afghanistan and the tribal region of Pakistan. With regards to Pakistan, he indicated that under his leadership, “if we have actionable intelligence about high-value targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.”

Sen. Obama (D-IL) favors democracy promotion as a principle of foreign policy (he introduced the DRC Relief, Security and Democracy Promotion Act in 2005). Still, he has generally not framed his rhetoric about the Middle East in terms of democracy promotion. Obama cosponsored the ADVANCE Democracy Act of 2005, which sought to reinforce the U.S. commitment to promoting democracy around the world. That bill would have established “Regional Democracy Hubs” around the world meant to develop and implement strategies to help bring about democratic transitions in non-democratic countries. The bill never passed. In the summer 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Obama said democratic states are better equipped to fight terrorism, stop the spread of weapons, and deal with public health crises. To this end, Obama said as president he would increase foreign aid funding to $50 billion by 2012 and demand reform of corrupt governments. He also said he would “capitalize a $2 billion Global Education Fund” to ensure educated citizens that can contribute to the solidifying of democracy around the world.

Speaking in 2006, Obama criticized (AP) President Bush's energy policy: “Saying that America is addicted to oil without following a real plan for energy independence is like admitting alcoholism and then skipping out on the twelve-step program.” Obama says he will attempt to reduce oil consumption by 7.64 million barrels a day by 2025 from current levels. Obama co-authored the Fuel Economy Reform Act with Biden, among other senators. The act, which has not been passed yet, would make all automobiles manufactured for 2012 meet the fuel economy standard of 27.5 miles per gallon. Obama has also said that he supports tax breaks and loan guarantees for users of clean energy sources like ethanol and blended fuel E85. More controversially, Obama supports the coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuel legislation under consideration in the Senate and the House, even though some experts say CTLs might cause even more carbon dioxide pollution than gasoline. He explained his support for CTLs, saying they “will create jobs and lessen our dependence on foreign oil.” Obama broke ranks from many of his fellow Democratic senators voting for the 2005 Energy Policy Act. he believes that a “strong carbon cap” (Grist) is better than a freeze on development on a particular type of energy.

Obama did not attend the vote on the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007. That bill passed. At a debate on January 15, 2008, Obama said he would support more nuclear power if it could be made cost-efficient and safe, and the waste stored effectively. He noted, if that can be done, "then we should pursue it because what we don't want is to produce more greenhouse gases."

Obama says he would invest $150 billion over 10 years (PDF) toward new alternative energy technology, and to "accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid." Obama's energy plan can be viewed here.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has taken a strongly pro-Israel tone in addressing the conflict. In a speech before AIPAC in March 2007, Obama said the United States must “strengthen the hands of Palestinian moderates” and isolate Hamas. Haaretz U.S. correspondent Shmuel Rosner said that before AIPAC, Obama “sounded as strong as Clinton, as supportive as Bush, as friendly as Giuliani.”

Obama cosponsored the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 and, like most of his fellow candidates, has called on the Palestinian leadership to “recognize Israel, to renounce violence, and to get serious about negotiating peace and security for the region.”

If elected, Obama says he would “insist on fully funding military assistance to Israel” (JPost) and continue to cooperate with Israel on the development of the Arrow missile defense system.

In the July/August 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Sen. Obama (D-IL) advocates for developing an “international coalition” to handle nuclear North Korea, calls the Six-Party Talks “ad hoc,” and says he supports “sustained, direct, and aggressive diplomacy.”

Within weeks of Pyongyang’s nuclear test, Obama appeared on Meet the Press and said the United States had no leverage over North Korea because of Washington’s refusal to hold bilateral negotiations. He also clarified a passage from his book Audacity of Hope (in which he posed the question “Why invade Iraq and not North Korea or Burma?”) and said he did not consider invading the communist country an option to resolving the nuclear issue.

In May 2005, Obama named North Korea as one of the "biggest proliferation challenges we currently face." Obama has called for the strengthening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that countries like North Korea "that break the rules will automatically face strong international sanctions."

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has broken with the status quo on U.S. policy toward Cuba. In August 2007, he called for travel and remittance restrictions on Cuban-Americans to be lifted. In an op-ed in the Miami Herald, Obama also said he would engage in bilateral talks with Cuba to send the message that the United States is willing to normalize relations with Cuba upon evidence of a democratic opening there.

In February 2008, Obama called Fidel Castro's resignation "the end of a dark era in Cuba’s history," and called for a democratic transition there. He said the United States should prepare to "begin taking steps to normalize relations and to ease the embargo of the last five decades." He also urged the "prompt release of all political prisoners" in Cuba.

He has voted twice to cut off TV Marti funding (WashPost).

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has expressed interest in cooperation with China, although he sees the country as a major competitor to the United States. At the April 2007 debate among Democratic candidates, Obama said China is “neither our enemy nor our friend. They're competitors. But we have to make sure that we have enough military-to-military contact and forge enough of a relationship with them that we can stabilize the region.”

In an April 2007 speech before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Obama said that if elected president, he would “forge a more effective regional framework in Asia,” building on “our strong bilateral relations and informal arrangements like the Six-Party Talks” on North Korea.

Obama has noted the problems with China’s revaluation of the yuan. He has said that although the United States should maintain a cooperative relationship with China, it should “never hesitate to be clear and consistent with China where we disagree—whether on protection of intellectual property rights, the manipulation of its currency, human rights, or the right stance on Sudan and Iran.” Obama will cosponsor a bill with Clinton to impose high duties on Chinese goods, intended to pressure China into revaluing its currency (FT).

In March 2008, Obama condemned China's crackdown on protests by Tibetan Buddhist monks. He called on China to respect Tibet's religion and culture, and said China should grant Tibet "genuine and meaningful autonomy." Obama also said the Dalai Lama should be invited to visit China, "as part of a process leading to his return."

Former Ambassador Jeffrey Bader, the Clinton administration's National Security Council Asia specialist, is a national security adviser to Obama's campaign. Bader is now the head of Brookings's John L. Thornton China center.

In a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in April 2007, Sen. Obama (D-IL) advocated the expansion of the military to include an additional sixty-five thousand army soldiers and twenty-seven thousand marines. He also called for an increase in the number of Arabic speakers in the military.

In Obama’s 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, he wrote, “It's time we acknowledge that a defense budget and force structure built principally around the prospect of World War III makes little strategic sense.”
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama introduced the Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006. That act, which was incorporated into the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 and signed into law, allows for the destruction of surplus and unsecured weapons, which Obama said “make attractive targets for terrorists.”

In October 2007, Obama said private security contractors like Blackwater USA should not be "rogue militia, roaming the country shooting without justification and without consequences." He called for increased accountability for contractors and wrote in an op-ed in the Chicago Sun-Times. that U.S. "national interests are threatened when these companies act on the country's behalf without having to answer to Americans. Instead of winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis, we've made them angry and possibly fueled support for the counterinsurgency that is keeping us stuck in Iraq."

As Obama was elected in 2004, he does not have a voting record on military operations in the Gulf War, Kosovo, or in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. He has been critical of the war in Iraq, but was not yet in office at the time that the Iraq War resolution was passed.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) writes in Foreign Affairs that the United States needs to move beyond Iraq and “refocus our attention on the broader Middle East.” One of the few presidential candidates who opposed the war (PDF) from the start, he says there is “no military solution” to the situation in Iraq. In January 2007, Obama proposed the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007, which would reverse the troop surge and redeploy U.S. troops to Afghanistan and other locations in phases. He favors more funds for U.S. military equipment like night-vision goggles and reinforced Humvees, though his recent refusal to sign a war funding bill came under criticism from presidential aspirant John McCain (R-AZ), who, among other things, accused the senator of misspelling "flak jacket." Under Obama's plan, there may be a residual troop presence (NYT) in Iraq for security and training purposes. His bill has not yet been voted on.

In September 2007, Obama released his plan (PDF) to "responsibly end the war in Iraq," calling for a complete redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2009, starting immediately. He also advocates a UN-led Iraqi constitutional convention in order to forge national reconciliation and to reach compromises on federalism, oil revenue sharing, and "de-Ba'athification." As president, Obama says he would establish an "international working group" to solve the Iraqi refugee crisis.

Obama opposes the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases (USA Today) in Iraq.

Obama opposes Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to "pause" U.S. troop withdrawal (CNN) from Iraq in July 2008. In February 2008, Obama said he "strongly" disagrees with Gates' proposal, and warned against waging "war without end in Iraq while ignoring mounting costs to our troops and their families, our security and our economy."

Sen. Obama (D-IL) generally supports free trade policies, though like many of his fellow Democratic candidates, he has expressed concern about free trade agreements that do not include labor and environmental protections. In a February 2008 speech at the General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, Obama said he "will not sign another trade agreement unless it has protections for our environment and protections for American workers."

Obama has called NAFTA a "bad" trade deal. In an August 2007 Democratic debate, Obama said he would meet with the Canadian and Mexican heads of state to “try to amend NAFTA,” saying the agreement “should reflect the principle that our trade should not just be good for Wall Street, but should also be good for Main Street” (see video).

In a February 2008 Democratic debate, Obama said he would "make sure that we renegotiate" NAFTA and use "the hammer of a potential opt-out" of NAFTA as leverage to ensure enforceable labor and environmental protections.

Still, in February 2008, Obama said he does not think "it's realistic for us to repeal NAFTA," because that could lead to "more job loss ... than job gains." (ABC)

Obama voted to approve the 2006 FTA with Oman. He opposed CAFTA, however, explaining in 2005, “It does less to protect labor than previous trade agreements, and does little to address enforcement of basic environmental standards in the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.” Obama did not vote on the 2007 Peru FTA, but expressed support for the deal (AP).

Obama has criticized China for manipulating its currency, and in June 2007 urged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to take action against China. "At least partially as a result of the Administration’s failure to address Chinese currency manipulation, the U.S. imported more than $232 billion in goods from China than we sold to it last year," he wrote.

In March 2008, Obama praised the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act, which requires that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine the CPSC's monitoring of goods imported to the United States, and make recommendations to improve safety and regulation. "We must ensure that the CPSC has every tool available to effectively regulate imported products in today's global marketplace and protect our most vulnerable citizens from dangerous products," Obama said.

Obama, who sits on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, has been a critic of how federal homeland security funding has been handled. He has also been critical of the Patriot Act, but he voted to adopt a conference report to reauthorize it in 2006. Obama cosponsored the SAFE Act of 2005.

In February 2007, Obama cosponsored the Risk-Based Homeland Security Grants Act and has been a steady advocate of risk-based funding for homeland security. In a 2006 podcast, Obama criticized the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, saying, “you would want to give more protection to the Empire State Building or the Golden Gate Bridge than you would want to provide to a Home Depot somewhere in downstate Illinois that is probably not on any terrorist hit list. Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is that Congress is more focused on political handouts than strategic funding.” In March 2006, Obama cosponsored the Chemical Security and Safety Act, which sought to increase chemical plant security. Also in 2006, Obama voted for the FEMA Amendment, which failed.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has expressed support for “opening dialogue”with Iran, in part to ask for its assistance in “playing a more constructive role in Iraq.” Obama has said Iran's nuclear ambitions represent a "serious threat to the United States, to our ally Israel and to international security."

Obama said in a March 2007 speech before AIPAC that he supports “tough sanctions” on Iran to compel it to stop its uranium enrichment program. In the same speech, he said that he “does not believe that the use of military force towards Iran should be ruled out (Chicago Sun-Times). Still, in an April 2007 presidential debate, Obama said, “I think it would be a profound mistake (NYT) for us to initiate a war with Iran.” The Senator hardened his position on this point following the NIE release. During a debate in Iowa on December 4 Obama accused President Bush of not letting “facts get in the way of his ideology” in dealing with Iran, and said the Bush administration’s saber-rattling and threats of war “should have never started” (NPR).

Obama has repeatedly said he would engage Iran in "tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions." In a February 2008 Democratic debate, Obama said it is "important for the United States not just to talk to its friends but also to talk to its enemies," including Iran. Obama has also said the United States should consider offering the incentive of World Trade Organization membership for Iran if it abandons its nuclear program.

In March 2008, Obama praised the UN Security Council's resolution to up pressure on Iran for its nuclear program. Still, Obama said, the resolution "represents a lowest common denominator because Russia and China did not agree to tougher sanctions."

In May 2007, Obama sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which would authorize state and local governments to divest from Iran's petroleum sector, protecting fund managers who divest from lawsuits. That bill has not reached a vote.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) cosponsored the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007, which would establish a “Climate Change Credit Corporation” to manage tradeable allowances and stimulate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. That bill has not yet been voted on. With Hillary Clinton, Obama recently signed on as a cosponsor of the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. Obama's proposals for climate change can be viewed here.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has said Russia is “neither our enemy nor close ally,” and said the United States “shouldn’t shy away from pushing for more democracy, transparency, and accountability” there. He has focused much of his discussion of Russia on diminishing the possibility of nuclear weapons use. In a July 2007 Foreign Affairs article, Obama said the United States and Russia should collaborate to “update and scale back our dangerously outdated Cold War nuclear postures and de-emphasize the role of nuclear weapons.” In an October 2007 speech in Chicago, Obama said if elected he would work to “take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair-trigger alert, and to dramatically reduce the stockpiles of our nuclear weapons and material.” He said he would seek a “global ban on the production of fissile material for weapons” and an expansion of “the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate-range missiles.”

In 2005, Obama traveled with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) to nuclear and biological weapons destruction sites in Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. Obama and Lugar then introduced legislation to eliminate nuclear stockpiles throughout the former Soviet Union. That law was enacted in 2007.

Sen. Obama (D-IL), the son of a Kenyan immigrant, has spoken out on immigration and voted on numerous immigration bills since taking office in January 2005. Obama, whose Illinois constituents include a high percentage of Mexican immigrants, voted against the English as a National Language Amendment in 2006. Obama proposed three amendments that were included in the Senate Immigration Reform Bill last year, including one that mandates that jobs be offered to American workers at a “prevailing wage” before they are offered to guest workers. Another of these amendments makes it a requirement that employers are able to prove that their workers are all legally permitted to work in the United States. His third amendment grants the FBI $3 million a year to improve efficiency for background checks on immigrants applying for citizenship. Obama has also called for sweeping amnesty for illegal immigrants. However, he voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

Obama opposed an amendment to the Senate immigration reform bill of June 2007 that would prevent immigrants with a criminal record from gaining legal status (AP).

Obama supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and has called it a "public safety concern."

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has repeatedly said that the United Nations should play a key role in managing crises like Darfur. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama voted against the Bolton nomination. His comments during those hearings provide a sense of his stance on the United Nations, including the need for reform: “Countries such as Zimbabwe and Burma, and others that do not want to see reform take place at the UN, are going to be able to dismiss our efforts at reform by saying: Mr. Bolton is a UN basher, someone who is ideologically opposed to the existence of the UN—thereby using Mr. Bolton's own words and lack of credibility as a shield to prevent the very reforms that need to take place.”

Pakistan first achieved notoriety in the presidential campaign in summer 2007 when Obama said he believed the United States should hunt al-Qaeda forces in Pakistan. “If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will,” he said at the time. During his 2004 Senate campaign, Obama also said he would consider military action in Pakistan to destroy nuclear weapons there should Musharraf be overthrown in a coup d’état.

In November 2007, Obama cosponsored a resolution condemning Musharraf’s imposition of a state of emergency, and calling for an investigation into a prior assassination attempt on Bhutto.

Sen. Obama (D-IL) has said the United States should seek “a world in which there are no nuclear weapons.” But he said in an October 2007 speech he does not believe the United States should pursue unilateral nuclear disarmament. “As long as nuclear weapons exist, we’ll retain a strong nuclear deterrent,” he said. If elected, he says he will seek “a global ban on the production of fissile material for weapons,” as well as an expansion of the U.S.-Russian intermediate-range missile ban. He also says he will “strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty so that nations that don't comply will automatically face strong international sanctions.”

Obama says if elected he will make ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty a priority. Though he says the United States should “lead the international effort to deemphasize the role of nuclear weapons around the world,” he has stopped short of opposing the building of a new Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). Instead, he said he is against (PDF) a “premature” decision to build an RRW .

In August 2005, Obama traveled with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) to nuclear and biological weapons destruction facilities in the former Soviet Union, where they urged the destruction of conventional weapons stockpiles. With Lugar, Obama introduced the Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act, which passed as part of the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006.