By George H. Wittman on 2.20.09 @ 6:07AM
Obama's foreign policy doesn't have talking points so much as
talking as its only point.
There is one consistent factor in the new administration's
foreign policy: talk, talk, and more talk. President Barack Obama
has his designated talkers (aka special envoys and ambassadors)
attempting to do what they consider the reverse of what they've
judged to be the Bush/Cheney method.
The last administration was charged with an unwillingness to
discuss American plans -- or as some would say, build U.S. policy
based on a consensus with other nations' views and positions. The
Obama view has been that holding foreign political cards close to
the chest is not the way to build friendship and understanding.
Sounds good, especially if you are in the community organizing
business, but not quite transferable to the political, economic,
and military world of international relations.
While laudatory comments about the new Obama smile program have
been elicited from such diverse players as Russia, France,
Germany, and even Iran, China jumped all over U.S. Secretary of
Treasury Geithner when he broke ranks and noted that Beijing had
manipulated its currency. As usual Uncle Sam is supposed to
accept any opprobrium thrown at it but never be negative in
return. Tim Geithner hadn't yet learned the lessons of the new
Obama game.
Already the European press is picking up on the fact that the
liberal Obama Administration style is to pay lip service to every
issue under consideration and emphasize a willingness to discuss
each and every element. This is what Washington now considers
good foreign policy. The operational theme is to flood the
diplomatic process with talk and pass that off as foreign
political accomplishment. It isn't!
There is an important difference between maintaining friendly
relations with other countries and actually obfuscating the
issues through platitudinous exposition. That might work on the
campaign trail, but is easily seen through by professionals in
foreign policy. If George W. Bush came to be considered a
"cowboy," Barack H. Obama is in danger of being viewed as a
"snake oil salesman."
The aggressively warm and fuzzy diplomatic approach of the Obama
Administration is nonetheless a useful device for the Russians,
who are searching for ways to exploit the newly arrived American
charm offensive. Joe Biden announced in his exquisitely opaque
style that it was time to "press the reset button" on
U.S./Russian relationships. It is rumored that he was referring
to the establishment of regular discussions between agencies of
both governments. How very ecumenical!
Clearly the Obama government is trying to find a way to wiggle
out of the Bush commitment to place anti-missile batteries in
Poland and radar systems in the Czech Republic. Hillary R.
Clinton referred to the need to make an assessment of the
technical capability and cost effectiveness of such a system
before a decision for deployment would be made. It's obvious that
the Obama plan is now to keep assessing the project, and talk
about assessing the project, long enough so as to make it easier
to tell the American people that the missiles really weren't
needed in the first place.
Meanwhile the Iranians happily proceed apace as Washington
convinces itself that a revived friendship with Moscow will
result in its putting pressure on Tehran to limit its nuclear
program to peaceful development. It's hard to believe that the
Obama White House really can be so ignorant of Iran's true
intentions after so many years of well-documented efforts by the
Persians to develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Following the Obama policy of talking itself into perpetual
talks, Secretary Clinton announced at the start of her current
Far East tour that the new administration in Washington intends
to usher in "a new era in relations with Asia." One isn't too
sure of what that great expert on Asia, Hillary Rodham, has in
mind. Too bad Tim Geithner is persona non grata. He speaks
Chinese.
Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke has been winging his way through
South Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India -- in that order)
alerting all to the newly discovered fact by the Obama team that
"Islamic militants are a danger to that whole region." It must
have been really hot news to Islamabad, Kabul, and New Delhi.
Unfortunately for Holbrooke who was trying to bring a message of
general support to President Karzai, the Afghan president only
seemed interested in the fact that he hadn't yet received a
personal telephone call from the new U.S. President.
It would appear that a policy of talking may seem a safe way to
say nothing, but that, too, can get you into trouble.
topics:
Foreign Policy
