All Deliberate Speed

An Iraqi soldier watches coverage of U.S. election returns in Baghdad. (By Wathiq Khuzaie -- Getty Images)

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· Obama wants to make an early push on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, despite political turmoil in Israel. He has learned from watching Presidents Clinton and Bush that you can't wait until the eleventh hour to be an active mediator. Similarly, he wants to work quickly to build strategic relationships with Russia and China, and to reassure both countries that the United States doesn't threaten them.

· On Iran, Obama wants to open the door to a process of engagement and dialogue, even though his advisers aren't confident it will succeed. They think Iran may not yet have found the language of "yes," but that's no reason not to explore areas of possible common interest.

· On Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama will listen carefully to advice from Gen. David Petraeus, the Centcom commander, and other military leaders before making decisions. Petraeus will make his recommendations on Afghanistan in January, and the early indications are that he will recommend a strategy of "surge first, then negotiate" -- that is, building up security in Afghan cities with additional U.S. troops before beginning talks with Taliban "reconcilables" about how to settle the conflict. That approach would fit well with Obama's view on Afghanistan, one key adviser said.

· Finally, Obama's advisers are thinking about how to use his youth, charisma and African American heritage to transform America's ailing image abroad. Already, there are discussions about his travel schedule -- and whether he should travel first to Asia before he goes to Europe for NATO's 60th-anniversary celebration in April. "How do we take advantage of the momentum coming out of this victory?" asks one top aide.

"I think he's going to change course, but that he will be cautious," says Brzezinski. For now, those are the two channel markers for Obama foreign policy -- change and caution. After the Bush years, both are likely to be welcome abroad.

The writer is co-host ofPostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues. His e-mail address isdavidignatius@washpost.com.