American foreign policy: New direction
PRESIDENT Obama's first few foreign policy moves have underscored what was missing in Bush's administration -- realism, dialogue and inclusiveness.
According to surveys in the US , nearly 70% of Americans believe that under the Bush presidency the US had headed in the wrong direction. As a result of pursuing ill-conceived or mismanaged policies, the Bush administration had unsettled US allies and emboldened its adversaries. America's national purpose, spirit, credibility and competence had been seriously compromised.
Dr. Aaron David Miller, who has played a central role in U.S. efforts to broker Arab-Israeli peace under both Republican and Democratic administrations, writes in his book, "The Much Too Promised Land," that the Bush team in eight years had managed to put America in a position in the Middle East where "it is not liked, not feared, and not respected…we stumbled for eight years under George Bush over how to make war there," and the result is "an America that is trapped in a region which it cannot fix and it cannot abandon."
In order to break clearly with President George W. Bush's administration, which was accused of readily resorting to military force, President Barack Obama retooled US foreign policy along three Ds: diplomacy, development and defence.
Matching words with deeds, the president, within days, outlined the new US priorities by naming three envoys: former senator George Mitchell for the Middle East; diplomat Richard Holbrooke for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Todd Stern, a former adviser of President Clinton to deal with climate change.
On January 27, the president, in his first interview with Dubai-based Arab TV Al Arabiya, said to the Muslim world: "The Americans are not your enemy." He offered a dialogue with Iran, and what he depicted was a new readiness to listen rather than dictate.
Following President Obama's lead, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton set the tone for a "new era for America" marked by openness and dialogue.
Less than a week after taking over, Hillary Clinton has left her mark on the State Department with a new set of policies. In one week, the secretary of state has telephoned 37 presidents, Prime ministers or foreign ministers, according to State Department media officers.
She said that she sensed from such calls a feeling of relief that the Obama administration had replaced George W Bush's team. "There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that is being set and the team that is being put together by the president," said Hillary Clinton.
She went the next day to the US Agency for International Development where she promised employees extra funds for development in poorer countries.
On January 26, she took part in a meeting with the new president and Mitchell at the White House, just before the Mideast peace envoy left on his maiden trip to the region.
On January 27, she had breakfast with Vice-President Joe Biden, a former senator who takes a keen interest in foreign policy, someone she describes as an "old and dear friend."
In her first direct contact with the media, Clinton avoided a formal televised news conference and chose instead to meet in person with more than a dozen journalists.
She adopted a diplomatic tone on China when she called for a "comprehensive" dialogue in line with its "important role" in the region and the world.
The power and prestige of the secretary of state comes from the perception that the secretary and the president share a common vision, and both having been candidates for president, Obama and Hillary have shown that they can unify the Democratic Party and cooperate for the service of the country. She has been careful to make sure that her former rivalry with Obama is over for good by insisting that the new administration forms a "team."
Effective foreign policy will play a significant role in restoring the positive image of America, and President Obama and Hillary Clinton have brought a breath of fresh air in shifting from hard power (military power) to soft power (diplomacy, aid in social work, health and education), winning the hearts and minds of people across the world.
Success of the new policy directions will depend on how the Obama administration engages in diplomacy with America's adversaries. The history of diplomacy makes it amply clear that long-standing rivalries require engagement, not isolation. Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be tough challenges for President Obama.
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