The Transition
The Foreign Policy Hand-off From George W. Bush to Barack Obama
“The Transition” project features more than 700 documents produced by members of the National Security Council under George W. Bush as they handed off critical information to the incoming administration of Barack Obama in January 2009.
These documents are presented as they originally appeared: a memo with attached supportive documentation. There are 40 total memos, each written by members of the National Security Council. This collection will grow as more documentation is declassified.
On this website, you will find all memos and documentation organized into one (or more) regional and topical categories, accessible from the top of your screen, or from the main page.
Africa
The Bush administration’s national security policy ranged like the continent: vast and complex. This section includes the prevention of tropical diseases, combatting terrorism, working with African leaders mitigate Sub-Saharhan conflict, and promoting the PEPFAR program.
Asia—with its sheer geographic breadth—presented the Bush administration with a host of challenges. Four nuclear-armed powers, increasing regional tensions, a complex system of alliances, and a rapidly-rising China. These memos provide a glimpse into this array of national security issues.
Asia
While many European nations maintained longstanding alliances with the United States, the continent still presented multiple national security issues. These memos provide a clear look at some of the most prominent, including energy production, conflict in the Balkans, NATO, and a shaky diplomatic relationship with Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin.
Europe
While Latin America presented a wide array of 21st-century national security challenges, the presidential transition focused on a few of the most critical issues. These memos address the narcotics trade, associated violence, and the rise of what the Bush administration called “authoritarian populism” in nations like Venezuela and Colombia.
Latin America
The Middle East presented perhaps the most challenging combination of national security concerns of the transition, like a boiling cauldron with no lid. The transition placed special emphasis on both individual nations (Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iran) and on broad regional topics (nuclear proliferation, the war on terror, and the ongoing quest for peace).
Middle East
This section functions as a miscellaneous collection of topics and policies whose scope went beyond particular nations or regions. The memos range from nuclear weapons, to the transformation of NATO, to the development of policies like “The Freedom Agenda” which the Bush administration utilized across the globe.