The Foreign Policy Initiative, a new Washington think tank, gathered together scholars, reporters, and those with an interest in foreign policy last week for its second Forum at the W Hotel, itself recently arrived on the Washington scene. Many current issues from China to the Middle East were discussed at the event, titled Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World, but much talk focused on the New START treaty, the ratification of which Obama has called a top national security priority. Generally, opinions at the forum weren’t optimistic that this would happen, and events since have borne out those predictions.

Stephen Rademaker, senior counsel at the BGR group, noted that presidents who lose control in midterm elections commonly shift to foreign policy because their domestic agenda is dead. That leaves Foreign Policy as the area where the president can best push his initiatives because he has almost exclusive control. Rademaker listed the top three issues he thinks Obama will focus on: the reset on relations with Russia, Iran, and the middle east peace process, adding that START is central to the so-named Russian reset. He also mentioned that the administration might work to improve its reputation for focusing on human rights and democracy stating that this is an area where the administration seems particularly vulnerable.