Ronald Peterson, Contributing Writer

President Barack Obama's foreign policy philosophy has been described as a carrot-and-stick approach, as opposed to President George W. Bush's predominantly hard-line view.

When Obama toured Europe soon after becoming president and spoke apologetically about his predecessor's mistakes, he promised to correct their errors by meeting with friends and foes to engage them diplomatically to solve common problems peacefully. And if they met him halfway, he would reward them.

Meanwhile, Obama criticized some of Bush's policies directly by speaking out against some aspects of the controversial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, while he said little about any good the wars accomplished, he condemned America's human rights violations in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons. Obama also opposed the long-range defensive missile shield for Eastern Europe which Bush had championed. Obama said a short-range missile defense system made more sense since Iran posed a greater threat to Eastern Europe than Russia.

Obama's softer tone and his views on nuclear weapons proliferation were received so well abroad that he won the Nobel Peace Prize just 10 months into his presidency. The Peace Prize Committee cited "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

As world politics evolve, it will be interesting to see how Obama addresses each new development and how the world responds to his leadership. Bush would argue that, in the end, it is better to be feared than to be loved, while Obama now says love is the answer. Time and circumstances will tell if Obama changes his tune. The following foreign policy issues helped shape Bush's presidency and promise to do the same for Obama.

Al-Qaida

Al-Qaida has not struck again in the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, but its leaders are still presumably plotting from their hideaways in Pakistan. Both Bush and Obama worked closely with Pakistan's government to bring its leaders to justice. In recent months, Pakistan has stepped up its efforts in this area. Al-Qaida has responded with deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan. One of these attacks came while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was meeting in Pakistan with its leaders.

Iraq

For the most part, Obama is following Bush's plan for transitioning the war from American combat forces to Iraqi forces. More American troops are returning home because Iraq has become stable enough to have elections. And while terrorist bombings continue, they are not nearly as frequent. Obama's task is to help rebuild Iraq as a democratic society and transform a nation of 26 million from an enemy into an ally.

Afghanistan

Obama had said during his bid for president that the war in Afghanistan was justified since it was al-Qaida's training center for the 9/11 attacks. In March, he decided to send more troops to Afghanistan but has since wavered on this commitment in spite of urgent requests for more troops by his top military commander there.

With American troop casualties rising, many experts say the additional troops are critical now. Sen. John McCain said the following in urging Obama to send the additional troops just as Bush did in Iraq: "We know what it takes to succeed in Afghanistan: a resolute commitment to the principles of counterinsurgency, which turned Iraq around during the surge.

As of the anniversary of his election, Obama was still deciding how to proceed.

Iran

When more than 100,000 protesters in Iran took to the streets to protest the outcome of its presidential election, Obama was strangely silent before speaking very gingerly about it a few days later. Obama tempered his response in an effort to maintain relations with the re-elected Iranian president at a critical time.

Iran is very close to having enough enriched uranium to build nuclear weapons. Since then, Iran rejected Obama's proposal to ship Iran's uranium to Russia for further enrichment. It would have prevented Iran from having nuclear weapons capability for at least a year. Now Obama will have to decide if it is time to take out his stick.

Obama's foreign policy skills will be tested in global hotspots with many other issues: Turkey's proposed membership in the European Union, Sudan's human rights violations in Darfur, North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the U.S.'s 47-year-old embargo on Cuba and Israel's settlements program as it relates to Palestinian peace talks. The substantial differences between Obama and Bush will reveal themselves over time.