Too many presidents (including our current one) are ideologues when it comes to foreign policy. The truth is that no two countries (or groups) are the same, nor does one single foreign policy work equally well in every case.
Of the countries the United States is primarily interested in, my foreign policy would be as follows:
IRAQ - Immediate, unconditional withdrawal. We cannot win this war, but we can cut our losses now by withdrawing. The withdrawal should be complete in no more than four months. We will maintain diplomatic relationships with the Iraqi government, and if by some miracle it survives, that's great. More realistically, it will probably collapse within a year of our withdrawal. If the country fragments into three, we will have no choice but to recognize their independence, if not the individual governments.
IRAN - The Islamic Revolution was 25 years ago, and there seems little possibility that the democrats will overthrow the government at this point. Unfortunately, the bad guys have won in Iran. The desire for a nuclear Iran is not just a desire that the ayatollahs have; there truly is a popular consensus for nuclear power. I think it's time for the United States to reestablish diplomatic and economic relations with Iran and end the travel ban, hopefully in exchange for international inspectors being permitted into Iran's nuclear facilities. As Michael Corleone says, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." We'll be able to pressure Iran on human rights, terrorism, and nuclear policy more as a friend than an enemy.
NORTH KOREA - Maintain a relatively hard line, but do not walk away from the table. The North Koreans have violated every nuclear treaty they have ever signed, and the one from last week is probably no different (they balked at the terms within 24 hours of signing it). We should be working to cause the demise of the North Korean government, and the best way of doing that is to open up their markets and culture to the outside world. In that concentration camp, people know nothing of the outside world, and so a revolution isn't likely unless they can see the alternatives available. We should allow some trade into North Korea.
CHINA - We should not view China as an adversary that needs to be beaten into submission. We should view them as a partner in planning the future of the world. While it's fair to pressure them on human rights and Taiwan, it's not fair to protest every time they want to buy an American corporation. We should encourage them to continue their economic reforms, as they allow more Chinese people access to more information. It's conceivable that China could evolve into a democracy within 20 years, or have a bloodless revolution. We should work to encourage that outcome without treating China as an enemy.
RUSSIA - Vladimir Putin is a huge threat to democratic reforms in Russia. We should harden our stance with Russia somewhat and work to pull more countries out of Russia's sphere of influence, but we should not inflame tensions to the point of threatening our oil imports or nuclear trafficking policy.
FRANCE AND GERMANY - We need to stop treating valuable allies as enemies. This is a ridiculous policy that does no one any good, other than the egos of the people currently in charge in Washington.
JAPAN - We should encourage Japan to build its military and amend its constitution to allow deployment abroad. Japan is our most useful ally in the world.
UNITED KINGDOM AND AUSTRALIA - Maintain our excellent relations with these nations by continuing our joint military exercises and sharing of intelligence.
CUBA - End the embargo and travel ban, but continue to take a diplomatic hardline against Castro. After he dies, we should work to ensure a democratic government replaces him, including military intervention if necessary.
VENEZUELA - We need to take a more hardline stance against Hugo Chavez, but we should certainly not cut off economic ties as we rely heavily on Venezuelan oil. This is one case where sticks work better than carrots; Hugo Chavez is an irrational leader who is incapable of weighing the best interests of his country (or even himself).
ZIMBABWE - Robert Mugabe is a horrible despot who is helping to ruin the economies of ALL of southern Africa. Instead of all the aid money we're spending to line the pockets of dictators, we should spend the money helping Morgan Tsvangiari and other oppostion leaders.
PAKISTAN - As much as we may have to hold our noses to do so, we need to actually help Musharraf strengthen his grip on power. He is unwilling or unable to take a firm stance against terrorism while his country remains so volatile. We also need to make a guarantee of some sort that we will not change this position after our terrorism campaign draws to a close, as he has no real incentive to help us catch members of al-Qaeda at this time.
INDIA - Our long term interests lie with India. We should help Pakistan and India broker a peaceful compromise to the Kashmir conflict so that there will not be any future wars. We should also encourage India to continue its economic reforms, and strengthen our military alliance with the largest democracy in the world.
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE - The Israeli pullout from Gaza is a good start to the peace process, but there will be no easy solution. If the Palestinians are able to maintain law and order in Gaza and prevent acts of terrorism, Israel should reward them with partial withdraw from the West Bank as well. Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorist attacks, but it should not inflame the situation by responding to every suicide bombing with a massive invasion into Palestine.