Obama win sparks global conversation on Iraq and Afghanistan

News that Barack Obama is the president-elect of the United States has already sparked a global conversation about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how American foreign policy will shift in the coming months.

A review of Mr. Obama's foreign-policy initiatives in The Guardian prioritized the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Iraq, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stated that he did not expect an immediate shift in US policy despite Obama's unique perspective on the war there, reports the Associated Press (AP).

Meanwhile, US troops stationed in Iraq watching election results come in on Wednesday morning hoped that Obama would bring soldiers home quickly yet responsibly, reports Reuters.

Iraqi citizens were divided about the long-term implications of Obama's victory, reports The Guardian.

According to the London-based Telegraph, Obama's stance on the Iraq war will be one of the defining issues of his term in office.

In a news analysis run by the AP, Steven Hurst argues that Iraq could be the first diplomatic and military bind facing Obama, even before he takes office on Jan. 20, 2009, if the Iraqi government does not submit a draft security pact to Parliament for approval in the coming days. The pact calls for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, but Iraqi lawmakers are still pressing for changes to the pact: They want more jurisdiction over US troops, a guarantee that Iraqi territory will not be used to launch attacks in neighboring countries, and no possibility for US troops to extend their stay in Iraq.

The Obama win may also bring a spike in violence in Iraq, reports The Guardian.

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