What Real Diplomacy Looks Like

Barack Obama showed up in Europe this week and the world did not simply swoon at his feet.  Some may choose to portray that as failure, but they would be dead wrong.  Diplomacy is about interests and hard bargaining to find areas of common understanding.  No matter how popular he may be around the world, the President was never going to be able to repair eight years of damage in only three months.  And he wasn't going to change the fact that sometimes the United States and other countries have conflicting interests.  But what we saw this week, after years where personal relationships and saber-rattling often substituted for foreign policy, were significant steps on a number of fronts.  In fact, since the invasion of Iraq more than six years ago it's hard to remember such a positive week for American diplomacy.

First, the G20 summit set the framework for global actions that will help address the current financial crisis and put more checks in place to ensure that a similar crisis does not occur.  The Obama administration did not get support for the global stimulus package it was looking for, but it did get a dramatic increase in funding for the IMF from $250 billion to $750 billion and an overall commitment of $1.1 trillion to help support the global economy.  This was a critical step as the IMF acts as a lender of last resort and plays a crucial role in preventing countries from failing during financial crises.  The world also comes away from this conference with new agreements on international regulations of financial institutions and a strong statement opposing protectionism.  Is it everything that we might have liked to have seen come out of the G20 summit?  No.  But you never get everything that you want out of a summit of 20 countries and the steps that were taken are crucially important.

Second, rather than looking into Medvedev's soul Barack Obama sat down with him and hammered out a path forward based on common interest.  The joint statement released by Obama and Medvedev was realistic but far reaching and set the road ahead for negotiations on a number of issues.  It recognized that there were issues where the United States and Russia would not agree, but it also set out an aggressive agenda on issues of nuclear non proliferation - issues that are absolutely crucial to both countries' security as well as that of the world.  The statement concluded:

In just a few months we have worked hard to establish a new tone in our relations. Now it is time to get down to business and translate our warm words into actual achievements of benefit to Russia, the United States, and all those around the world interested in peace and prosperity.

This doesn't mean that Russian-American tensions will disappear overnight.  But it is a far cry from where the United States and Russia were eight months ago after the conflict in Georgia essentially froze relations.

On Afghanistan we have also seen important movement in the right direction.  The international conference at the Hague earlier this week served to further internationalize support for the conflict.  And though it was only a first step it was an important one.  It also included recognition from the Obama administration that rather than loudly asking for troops, we ask for other types of support in Afghanistan.  After all, the U.S. has the most powerful military in the world. What it lacks is the civilian capabilities that are so critical for the mission in Afghanistan.  Many of our allies happen to have these types of capabilities and it is something they are willing to contribute.  This isn't just diplomacy, it's common sense.

Finally, the administration continued its outreach to Iran this week.  Iran was invited to the Hague conference and pledged to work to curb narcotics trafficking out of Afghanistan while also providing more humanitarian aid.  During the conference Richard Holbrooke, the Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, had a face to face conversation with the Iranian representative - the highest level interaction between the Obama administration and Iran.  This is only a small step, but a positive one in preparing for greater engagement going forward.

Barack Obama's administration did not redraw the geopolitical map this week.  We are still in the middle of a major financial mess.  America's position in the world is not what it was eight years ago.  But the administration did show that when the United States is not politically radioactive,  thinks seriously about its interests, and takes the time to listen, it can get important things done via diplomacy.

Comments

[mjc]

Even with all the pomp and circumstance you are absolutely correct that this is Obama trying to re-scale America in European eyes following one of...no, THE worst president anyone on that continent ever saw. and the steps he must take are baby ones. We can't go barreling into Afghanistan with a lot of troops and expect Russia to merely demur; we are only protecting ourselves...and Europe...from terrorists, we'll say. It won't look that way to Russians just across the border. Frankly, much of what I hear Obama saying scares me in the same way that Bush's sabre-rattling did. We, Obama and Clinton, need to look to history to understand what a well-armed nation (empire) can do in such a region. The Romans went to the barbarians and built roads, some still standing today, the object being that such would promote commerce, cultural understanding...although the word culture would never have been mentioned...unless it was Greece, and to provide a means of existence outside of war and looting for the natives. Do I think that will happen? Probably not. And we are dealing with nuclear armed nations, Pakistan, India, and Russia, to boot; the Romans didn't have that on their plate.

[timtnnc]

Obama is a remarkable leader, but we should not have to go through eight years of hell next time to elect a responsible president. I for one would love to live in a country where sensible leadership is the norm. I hope the W years may serve as a stark example of kind of candidate to whom we should NEVER hand the reins of power.

[comber1001]

The change in tone at this G20 conference is refreshing and encouraging and President Obama's presence is responsible for that welcome change. Certainly nations will persue their own national interests in the future but the lack of hostility goes a long way towards modifying destructive self-interest internationally.

[BlackSwan13]

Is this investigative reporting that we can expect on this sight?

It seems to me to be high-school level cheer leading!

No reporting on what the IMF and World Bank funds will do the the working class people of the world.

No reporting on how this affects the poor.

He got some of what he and Timmy wanted from some of the countries.

Meanwhile, China is smart enough to know that they cannot, and will not, depend on IMF or the World Bank for any help and so they will continue to hoard cash.

Diplomacy.

Ask a few questions.

[Grammy3]

May i recommend Glenn Beck over at Fox to satisfy your need to have your own biases confirmed? And could we see your credentials for your assessments of the writing level on this site?

[BlackSwan13]

You really are out of touch.

Is it only knee jerk reaction.

Read my posts.

I have never listened to Glen Beck.

Is dissent from the left not allowed?

There may be people to the left of Obama who fear that he has sold out to the right.

The left hand boundry may go further than you had anticipated.

[liberty68]

Obama may not be able to repair America's image with just one brief visit to Europe, but don't be mislead. He went a long way in doing so. Just look at the enthusiasm and smiling faces of the audience in his Strasbourg, France town hall meeting. I'm talking about the 'real people' not the politicians who have their own agenda. People in the streets reached out their hands sincerely to touch him and make eye to eye contact. Do you think Bush would have gotten anywhere near such an enthusiastic welcome? I was sooo proud to have our President received in such a light and to hear him speak with intelligence and understanding. Finally, we have a president worthy of the title "President of the United States. HOORAY for us for having the courage to elect him. 'We The People' spoke out against the Bush/Cheney gang of thugs and their tyrannical reign, and the world took notice. We the people of this country have a new found respect by the world after electing him, and Obama reinforced our wisdom in having done so on this European trip. ou can see it in the faces o f the people in the crowds. Pat yourselves on the back America. We're on a roll.

[Bitsko]

A sad week for the Republican Party. Remember them?

[MizLiz]

It's going to be slow going -- the previous eight years were a disaster, and many countries just plain hated us -- often for good reason. Our president is being careful, but he's laying the groundwork for close relations in the future. I am so glad Iran is being included...when you treat a country like they matter and have something to offer, they often will surprise you. I am hopeful.

[Dredd]

I don't like the Afghanistan policy, nor is the Iraq policy efficient enough. The Israel / Palestine policy is laggard.

But the policy toward Europe, Iran, Syria, Russia, and China is exemplary.

On balance we are taking care of business.

Compared to the last eight years we are on cloud nine!

[Javani]

"The Obama administration did not get support for the global stimulus package it was looking for, but it did get a dramatic increase in funding for the IMF from $250 billion to $750 billion and an overall commitment of $1.1 trillion to help support the global economy."

That was a win for the Europeans, not the US.

And that's why they were happy. The US is going to borrow more money to fund the IMF which is mostly a European piggy bank and plaything.

How that can be construed as a win for the USA is beyond me. Besides bailing out bad Euro loans, downstream its consumer effect will be to increase Chinese, not American, business profits.

[IrateHarry]

"bad Euro loans"????

Surely you mean "cr@p US toxic assets" that spawned the global economic disaster.

[Soulmentor]

What a stark contrast President Obama is to President Bush. I am struck by the difference seen in that video of Bush at a previous summit when he was walking in to join the others for the group photos. All the others were greeting each other and shaking hands while our President Bush, like the little boy no one likes, walked in, head down almost, pointedly ignored by literally ALL the other leaders. It was one of the most humiliating scenes of his administration. Contrast that to our current President's grace and style and diplomacy......and enthusiastic greetings and apparent acceptance by all the other leaders.

It feels good to feel a sense of Hope and Confidence again in our President.

[MizLiz]

Not to mention intense pride.

[NFS]

Remember that ad, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...". Well don't hate Pres. Obama because he's intelligent, strategic, diplomatic, compassionate, caring, sophisticated, well-spoken, a good husband and father, and is also the leader of the free world--a position to which he was elected BTW! And don't forget...he's also very nice looking.

[sladenyv]

Yeah, but the problem with all of Obama's "smart", "tough" diplomacy is that everyone--friend and foe alike--knows that he won't have the stones to back it up if push comes to shove and that is why I for one consider this to be all talk....

[truegreen]

Stop, stop, stop it.....U may disagree wit this, but put ur pettiness aside and the give the man his credit when its due. The Pres. did a superb job presenting the new America abroad.

I detested GW, but i gave him his credit when it was due.

GROW UP!

[WeTellTheTruth]

You have the right to your opinion........but you have no right to tell someone else to stop giving their opinion.

If you are a member of the thought police..........too bad for you.

[rachra]

How the heck do you know that? I for one, am very glad that we have President Obama leading us at these tough times. I could not think of a better person suited for the job.

Good job, Mr. President. Keep it up!!!!

[ILibertine]

Two thoughts:
1) "Stones" may imply the ability to use judgment rather than force as a first option.
2) I would not consider Obama as a pacifist were a situation to genuinely require force. He might be a whole lot smarter than some I can think of insofar as how he might respond, though.

[primercord]

Like his going after AQ in the tribal areas of Pakistan which GWB didn't have the cojones to go after till Obama mentioned it during the campaign? Obama has more intelligence than any 10 republicans I can think of.

[billwetzel]

No validity to your nonsense at all. Everything you believe in has failed and your time is over, get over it and move on.

[WeTellTheTruth]

G20Historic agreement = Historic Doubletalk

The only thing that was agreed on at the G20 Scam.......was to spend more money we dont have..........

ALL the rest.......well there wasnt anything else......that was it.

Obama and the rest......... selfcongratulating themselves for doing nothing......just spending more money and looking like bigshots.

The final report reads like a doubletalk manifesto........promises and vague stamements and doubletalk about what they would like to do sometime in the future.....maybe.....probably not..........definatly not..........no way.

Sickening

[Javani]

The greatest success of the American administration was getting France and Germany off-topic about market reforms. They were pushing the most for them. Obama's team posed the issue as a false dilemma: spending splurge v. reform. Of course the two don't abnegate each other, but it is posed so. During the media coverage of the foreign trip Obama got mark to market dropped, so he has increased, not decreased, regulation.

[MrsFonebone]

It's nice that things went fairly well, but at this point they only agreed on some goals; and committed more money that we really don't have.

The problem I have with Obama's whirlwind agenda is that there is so much talk (not just him, but Geithner and all the rest) and though we've handed out such incredible amounts of money to the villains, the people who raked in the profits on high risk but don't want to pay for the downside, so far there's lots and lots of talk and promises, but we're shedding jobs and people are living in tent cities--somehow, that never seems to make the news, though. It's all happy, happy, joy, joy.
We need results, not just talk. The stock market is NOT the same thing as the economy.

[snowdog]

Oh sure, but when the economy was tanking, it was the "Obama stock market crash!" all over the news. Suddenly, the market doesn't mean anything and we want to see real results.

I can't wait until the economy rebounds and you can all come here and scream that the economy wasn't in real trouble anyway and all he did was waste money.

[KarenT]

Well Cantor is already planting that seed by saying the Dems are over-reacting to the economic crisis?

[temashana]

this is all v. good news, but I do hope that he is not only going to make drastic changes as to how the US has been in the last 8 years, but how it's been in the last century or so. American presidents love to talk about democracy and yet they really try to prevent countries from moving forward to become more democratic. If you look at history, you can see how the US destroyed democracy in Iran in the 1950's, how it's helped to prevent it in South and Central America, in Haiti and Indonesia. The US government says one thing and does another. Reagan destroyed so many countries and people because he was afraid to lose control if a democratic government was properly elected, rather than someone he had chosen.
I truly hope Obama means what he says about getting out of Iraq and letting them get on with it. They want us out and have done so for the last 5/6 years, the US media was just not reporting on what was really going on there. The polling stopped because around 2005 the numbers were as high as 90% of Iraqi's that wanted the US to leave.
The main thing the US needs to change is to say AND do what it says at the same time. Even if it's not best for lining the US pockets.