Big foreign policy agenda awaits next president

NORFOLK, Virginia (Reuters) - The next U.S. president will face a daunting list of foreign policy challenges, from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the global financial crisis to the need to shore up the country's frayed international image.

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have sparred over taxes, health care and other domestic issues as the November 4 presidential election approaches, pushing subjects like the Iranian nuclear standoff and Middle East peace to the background.

But whoever wins the White House on Tuesday will confront an overwhelming number of national security issues when President George W. Bush hands over power.

"The mantra for the next administration has to be, 'Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it,'" said James Lindsay, who was a foreign policy aide to President Bill Clinton and is now with the University of Texas, Austin.

"The new president-elect is going to have a full foreign policy inbox and decisions to make with enormous consequences for American security," added Lindsay, who is now with the University of Texas in Austin.

A week and a half after the election, Bush will convene a summit in Washington to look at the global economic crisis and begin negotiations among world leaders on financial reforms.

His successor, who takes office on January 20, will inherit the Iraq and Afghan wars and an intensifying effort to pursue al Qaeda militants on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

Stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and holding North Korea to its promise to dismantle its nuclear weapons program are also pressing issues.

Both candidates have vowed a reinvigorated effort toward Middle East peace and promise staunch support of Israel.

Obama foreign policy adviser Mark Lippert said fighting terrorism, dealing with militants along the Afghan-Pakistan border and killing or capturing Osama bin Laden are top national security priorities.

Obama has pledged to end the Iraq war and bolster the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan.

The ability to tackle deteriorating security in Afghanistan and pursue militants is "linked to the ability to make progress on political reconciliation in Iraq and the ability to draw down there," Lippert said.

McCain agrees on the need for more forces in Afghanistan. He opposes a timetable in Iraq, saying U.S. troops should remain there as long as they are needed.

Obama's willingness to talk directly to U.S. adversaries such as Iran and Syria is another major point of disagreement.

TOUGH TALK

Obama, an Illinois senator, says the Bush administration's resistance to engaging foes has limited its diplomatic options, but McCain has attacked the Democratic candidate's call for dialogue at the highest levels as naive.

McCain has called for Russia's ouster from the elite Group of Eight club of rich nations in response to Moscow's August war with Georgia. Obama opposes that step. Both men condemned the Russian invasion, triggered by Georgia's bid to reimpose control over breakaway South Ossetia, but McCain has spoken more harshly.

One foreign policy priority Obama and McCain share is repairing ties with traditional allies, including many European countries, that became strained under the Bush administration.

Some analysts believe Obama's huge popularity abroad could give him an initial advantage, although it will not be a panacea for challenges such as persuading Europe to contribute more troops in Afghanistan.

Lippert said strengthening European alliances would help on many fronts, including providing more leverage with Russia.

"Sen. Obama has spelled out many times that the strength of the transatlantic relationship, for example, impacts our ability to help advance our interests in dealing with countries like Russia but also better tackle a number of transnational threats such as nonproliferation, terrorism, climate change, energy and democracy promotion," he said.

While McCain has taken a tougher line than Bush on Russia and once jokingly sang about bombing Iran, he has promised a break with the current administration's "cowboy diplomacy."

Randy Scheunemann, top foreign policy adviser to McCain, said it is a caricature that McCain, an Arizona senator and former prisoner of war, would be more inclined to use force than past U.S. presidents.

"He understands the consequences of ordering men and women in uniform into harm's way," Scheunemann said in an interview last month.

Bush's November 15 economic summit will bring together leaders of the G20, which includes major industrialized nations and large emerging economies like China, Brazil and India. The president-elect will have input, but it is unclear whether he would attend.

McCain and Obama have both talked of the importance of the U.S. economy to the country's global role. Obama's stance on trade is more cautious, but both promise to move quickly to try to strengthen the financial regulatory system.

(Editing by Patricia Zengerle)