"Over the next few years, there will be several issues in the area of foreign relations that are politically explosive," said Cornell history professor emeritus Walter LaFeber. He was speaking to about 200 retirees on Nov. 6 -- two days after the election -- at the fall Cornell Retirees Association luncheon at the Clarion Hotel in Ithaca.

LaFeber said that among the complex issues President-elect Barack Obama will face are negotiations with Iran, which is developing its nuclear capability, and relations with Central and Latin America, which he termed" a forgotten area of American foreign policy"

LaFeber's history courses have been among the most popular at Cornell. His books include the prize-winning "The Clash: U.S. Relations with Japan from the 1850s to the Present." A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a former Guggenheim fellow, LaFeber has authored and co-authored op-ed pieces in numerous newspapers and contributed to Walter Cronkite's "American Presidencies," PBS' "American Century" and the BBC's "End of the Cold War?"

LaFeber said Iran's cooperation will be critical to a stable Iraq as the United States withdraws its troops. He noted that Obama is likely to continue President Bush's recent effort to negotiate with the Taliban. Concern also has been expressed about our ability to prevail in Afghanistan, he added, since European countries are likely to reduce troops there due to the downturn in their economies.

Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico also present complex challenges, he said. Brazil's economy is growing rapidly, making it less dependent on the United States; Colombia expects trade agreements that Obama disagreed with during his election campaign; Venezuela is forging alliances with U.S. rivals; and Mexico is caught in a desperate struggle with increasingly violent drug traffickers.

Further, the ability of the United States to respond forcefully to these challenges will be tested by its own domestic economic difficulties, LaFeber added.

Marguerite Spencer is a writer for the Office of Human Resource Communication Services.