As the 44th President of the United States approaches the completion of his first 100 days in office, the general public will no doubt be subject to many, many pieces on how he has fared, what it means, how the American public perceives him, how the international community perceives him and what his next challenges are likely to be. For the American political pundit, the first 100 days are a key indicator of the rest of their President���s term. For the moment, let us concern ourselves with his foreign policy report card and what might come next.

Since taking office on the 20th of January, Obama has given a pat on the back to the politically ailing British Prime Minister, made overtures to the Iranian people, committed to pulling troops out of Iraq by June 2010, visited the predominantly Muslim, secular democracy of Turkey, dispatched his Secretary of State to Mexico to talk about the drug war, wowed Europe with a dazzling performance at the G-20 summit, begun the process to shut down the Guantanamo bay prison, eased restrictions on Cuba and signalled rather emphatically that his administration���s foreign policy will be a drastic shift from the previous one���s. And all of this in less than 100 days in office.

Along the way, the new American President has garnered nothing but praise, and at times sheer adulation, from not just the people that voted for him, but also countless millions across the globe who truly believe him to be the leader of the free world. Few presidents have seen this much success with regards to foreign policy in their first few days. Obama has been unafraid to admit past failures and reverse positions from his campaign promises. He has also kept a few key campaign promises, chief among those being the pullout of American troops from Iraq and pledging more troops to Afghanistan. Unlike his predecessor, Obama has shown faith in and respect towards international organisations and processes. He participated in earnest in the G-20 summit and exhorted NATO to pledge more troops to Afghanistan. He has even named a competent, high ranking Obama insider as US Ambassador to the United Nations.

However, He has also shown his inexperience and lack of foreign policy credentials in some areas. At the very top of the list is the unchecked unravelling of American ���ally���, Pakistan. Al-Qaeda is gaining a greater foothold in the country while Obama has yet to take any concrete measures with regard to the country. Although he has appointed a special envoy to the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, results will have to come sooner, rather than later, as the internal situation in both countries deteriorates rapidly. Obama has also shown some naiveté by placing his faith in slow-moving diplomacy at times. While the harsh rhetoric that his predecessor liked to employ is not what is called for, there are areas that Obama needs to show his strength. An excellent example of this is Sudan. Obama has done an important thing by appointing a special envoy to the country, to show that his administration is concerned with the country and the region. However, to a country where he could have shown American strength and warned of dire consequences, he has stepped much more lightly, to no avail as of yet.

In the coming days, there will be many tests to the new administration. The Americans will have their eyes on two important elections, in Iran and in Afghanistan. There is growing concern over the global economic crisis and the problem of Somali pirates. The increasing lawlessness and lack of security in Pakistan is a threat to the security of other countries in the region, as well as America itself. With all of this, and more, what should the United States focus on?

To begin with, America���s relationship with Iran might well be the cornerstone of this administration. If a moderate government comes into power in Tehran, then there might be a sit-down between representatives of both countries before the end of this year. However, there are some indications that the American government will be willing to relax many of their pre-conditions to talk with the Iranian government. The indication is that the US will be willing to forego the condition that Iran shut down its nuclear facilities before the two governments can talk, is surely dangerous. While it is important that the Americans lay down as few pre-conditions as possible to ensure an open conversation at the earliest, this relaxation will only signal to Iran that its nuclear programme is not an urgent concern for the international community.

In the meanwhile, North Korea tested a missile despite enormous international opposition and has recently removed IAEA inspectors from its territory and pulled out of nuclear talks. Even as he has started the process of pulling American troops out of Iraq, Obama is also presented with the task of convincing NATO as well as individual European allies to commit troops to Afghanistan. Most importantly, with a recession in his own country, Obama must also find a way to keep up US aid to impoverished countries around the world.

If his first 100 days in office are any sort of clue, then we can ascertain a few things about Obama���s future foreign policy stance. One, Obama has proven to be unafraid to offer to sit down with any type of organisation to talk and this emphasis on diplomacy and dialogue is likely to last into the rest of his term. And two, while it is not immediately clear how his tactics and methods will work out, it is clear that Obama has taken many steps in the right direction.