Obama's foreign relations grade

[fuseldar]

Over the past week and a half the Obama administration has initiated an imense diplomatic campaign with Europe and the rest of the world. He went to the G20 summit to address the economic problems, to NATO in order to request aid for Afghanistan, and finally to Prague to respond to North Korea's rocket test and to speak on Nuclear bans and non-proliferation. His response to crisis in these areas has been absolutely amazing on the global stage. He has been extremely effective in rebuilding a bridge between the European nations and the United States, a bridge that over the last 50 years has broken down to a point of distrust and contept. He has aproached the European leaders not as a superior but as an equal, and has not shy'd away from accepting responsibility for mistakes the US has made over recent years, and yet has encouraged Europe to step up and assist the US in fixing it's mistakes and allowing the US to help fix theirs. Obama's appearance overseas has been increadibly popular especially with Europeans who I imagine sense a change in the US zeitgiest. Personally I really enjoyed his speech on nuclear non-proliferation and I thought it was one of his better points on the campaign, he sounded both strong and tempered, both reassuring allies of US protection but extending the hand of cooperation to nations with which the US does not agree with. His comitment to diplomacy I believe will be the shining star of the Obama presidency and as I have said to others we may be looking at the most effective foreign policy president in modern history.

a video on foreign policy challenges that the Obama administration faces:

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