The thrust of tonight's State of the Union speech will be on the economy, jobs and civility in political discourse, with members of both parties sitting side-by-side in a display of bipartisanship.

But with two wars and 150,000 troops still deployed overseas, it’s hard for the president not to touch on a number of foreign policy issues. They could run the gamut, from terrorism in Russia to saber rattling in North Korea, sanctions in Iran, and progress in Afghanistan and Iraq. All will be reminders that as hard as things are domestically, it is impossible for Americans not to continue to look outwardly as well.

It's a sure bet that President Barack Obama will trumpet American foreign policy in Iraq, where the president removed all major combat forces last year and plans to bring home the remaining 50,000 troops from by the end of this year. That drawdown will parallel a political process still laden with challenges. But while the president's point man for Iraq, Vice President Joe Biden, sits behind him, President Obama will tick off how American foreign policy goals are largely being met in Iraq - an Obama foreign policy success story so far.

The narrative in Afghanistan is far less certain. With 100,000 troops fighting a bloody insurgency, particularly in the south and the east, it's harder to assess just how the effort will look this time next year. The administration has touted "progress," both in Afghanistan and to a lesser degree in Pakistan, while avoiding Òhappy talkÓ that can create false expectations.

The real test of the strategy in Afghanistan will come this summer, when Obama has pledged to begin withdrawing troops. But few experts believe that promise will amount to a substantial drawdown.

"The July deadline is really going to be more symbolic than anything else," says Paul Hughes, USIP's senior program officer in the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention.

The NATO decision to make 2014 the year by which a true drawdown in Afghanistan occurs largely negates the July 2011 deadline since the actual transition of security responsibility to the Afghans won't happen until that later year.

"There will be certain parts of the American polity that will rise up and scream bloody murder," Hughes says. "But by and large, people will understand why 2014 is the more realistic date."

Obama may also underscore the degree to which sanctions against Iran are working to influence Tehran's behavior and pushing it ever closer to negotiating over its nuclear program. But there are challenges there, as well. The lead editorial in The Washington Post on January 25 argues that the sanctions approach is looking ÒshakyÓ and calls for more emphasis on supporting the opposition Green movement within Iran. "By doing more to support the Iranian opposition, the United States could press the regime where it actually feels threatened," the Post editors wrote. "It could also send an important message to Iranians: that the international coalition seeks not to punish them but to weaken the government they despise."

Obama's recent visit with Chinese President Hu Jintao offers an opportunity for the American president to provide his assessment of the relationship and how China can play a continuing role in diffusing tensions over North Korea. The Hu visit to Washington last week seemed to stress symbolism over substance. But it may have begun a kind of re-set between the two nations, even with continuing concerns over human rights, trade, security and monetary policies.

In a Q+A published before Hu's visit, USIP's John Park, senior research associate at the Institute's Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, said this year in Asia will be a tense one.

"With both Koreas moving military assets to their forward bases along the demilitarized zone and conducting more exercises, the probability of an accident or misunderstanding has been rising significantly," Park wrote. "Both U.S. and Chinese leaders will need to take the initiative in developing and implementing effective prevention strategies for the Korean peninsula as this tinderbox becomes drier and is confronted by more sparks."

Obama may use the devastation in Haiti, one year after the earthquake, to remind Americans of the need to continue looking past their shores. "One year after the earthquake, Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince remains in ruins, including the presidential palace, government ministries, the national cathedral, schools and hospitals," said USIP's Robert Perito, director of the Security Sector Governance Center, in a Q+A this month. "Rubble from the earthquake remains in place. Nearly 1 million of the city's inhabitants still live in makeshift shelters and temporary encampments. Unsanitary conditions, crime, exposure to harsh weather, joblessness and uncertainty remain the reality for most people," he wrote.

USIP will hold an event on Haiti Wednesday.