Will Inboden at Shadow Government wrote a phenomenal article today, “5 opportunities Obama Should Seize Right Now.” According to him, five feasibly realized foreign policy objectives are:
- Forming a strategic partnership with Indonesia
- Pushing for freedom for Zimbabwe
- Ratifying free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama
- Strategically engaging with Central Asia
- Starting for a renewed initiative on Burma
I think he’s dead on with Indonesia. If we do want to have a new image in the Muslim world, Indonesia could prove to be low hanging fruit. Bilateral prerogatives are always more easily accomplished in diplomacy because we already have a “special envoy” she’s just called Ambassador.
I also think he’s right on getting those trade agreements passed. I can’t believe that there will be much of an effect on the economy by passing the Colombian and Panamanian ones, and the Korean one sweetens a huge potential market. Passing these agreements tells the world that we’re not reverting to protectionism and tells those countries that we value our relationships and keep our word.
I think Inboden is being somewhat shortsighted regarding Central Asia. Obama and Clinton have made Russia a priority. It’s been said that Russia sees US relationships with its neighbors the way a man sees a neighbor flirting with his wife and daughters. He gets angry and feels that he’s justified in basically anything he does. That’s not the feeling we want to inspire if we really do want to “reboot” that relationship. Personally, I’m not sure that we do, I could argue both ways, but the administration wants to, and diddling in Central Asia isn’t a good start.
I also like that he mentioned pushing for democracy in Zimbabwe and Burma. It’s yet to be determined how big a role promotion of democracy and human rights is going to play in Obama’s foreign policy. Bush placed huge emphasis on democratization, and many of his opponents may want to throw the baby out with the bath water even on good initiatives (see the paragraph on free trade agreements for another example).
The first 100 days have been a whirlwind. We’ve had tests and initiatives across the globe, and I’m anxious to see where we’ll go next. I don’t know if these five should or could be foreign policy imperatives, but it’s an interesting list. I’d probably add support for India (especially in light of the H1b issues that have popping up lately) and Somalia (you may know Somaliland has a spot in my heart though). What would you like to see on the plate?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Engaging with Central Asia is the right thing to do, but it has to be done on a small scale. The governments there are very suspicious of us and our motives and also very cautious about doing anything to upset their (dependent) relationship with Russia and the growing role of China.
Small scale USAID projects are very successful although they do not necessarily affect a large number of people.
I fully concur with Central Asia. The USG has enough trouble with Moscow when it comes to dealing with Ukraine and Georgia, and expanding too quickly into Central Asia as well will be difficult to say in the least. However, there are some bright spots: a small handful of western energy companies are striking deals with several of the ‘Stans for natural gas, and yes, bypassing the Kremlin (ie, RWE’s deal with the Turkmens, which will aid the Nabucco natural gas pipeline project). If natural gas is our chief concern in the area, and these companies are doing it, let’s support and enhance those initiatives, and use them as inroads for more comprehensive US interests in the future.
Somaliland is also a worthwhile cause. Like your earlier posts said, it’s a moderate, stable Islamic state with a democratic government and mostly free press. All of those elements are relatively rare in that part of the world, and we should encourage it.
Downside: I am sure Sheikh Sharif of the transitional government in Mogadishu would be thrilled that Westerners are “picking apart” his country just months after assuming the presidency. At the same time, UIC radical Sheikh Aweys, fresh from his return from exile in Eritrea, may also use it as a rallying call to strengthen al-Shabab.
More like “The Next 2821 Days!!”
GObama! 4 more years!
Those western energy companies in Central Asia are having some problems in Kazakhstan. One of the key rules in Central Asia is “stay under the radar” (the other rule is, “it’s good to be the king”). Any business, particularly a Western business, which is known to have lots of money becomes a target for government greed.
I do not recall any stories from Azerbaijan of western companies getting squeezed– at least not yet. Same for Uzbekistan. But Kazakhstan had been relatively open for Western investment.
I like the idea of bring Syria into the fold with the repercussions it would have on relations with Iran, regional support for stability in Iraq, and Israeli/Palestinian peace.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/06/090406fa_fact_hersh