Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama talks to the media during a news conference on his campaign plane en route from Michigan to Washington, Tuesday. / AP-Yonhap |
Populist Message Likely to Be Toned Down If Elected
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
A series of public statements made by Barack Obama suggest he doesn't have a good impression of Korea and the Korea-U.S. alliance. But he is likely to tone down his populist message if he wins in the November election, U.S. analysts predicted.
He has been a vocal critic of the pending Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, describing it as a flawed deal that will hurt U.S. workers.
This week, the candidate remarked that the trade agreement is ``not a smart deal," according to Yonhap News Agency. It is the first time that Obama has officially criticized the pending deal after becoming the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
In a separate development, he has been putting together a team of Korea specialists that include some of the foremost authorities in U.S.-Korea relations. The Obama campaign may unveil its comprehensive Korea policy, including its approach toward North Korea, in one or two months, according to a report.
Earlier this month the Senator from Illinois beat rival Hillary Clinton to claim the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. He will square off against the Republican Party's pending nominee John McCain of Arizona in the November 4 presidential election. Recent U.S. polls show Obama leading McCain by several percentage points nationwide.
On his campaign trail, Obama made critical comments against overseas trade pacts with countries including Canada, Japan and South Korea. He has stated that the KORUS FTA, now pending in U.S. Congress, should not be ratified in its current form and has suggested that the accord be renegotiated. He has argued that the KORUS FTA does not address concerns of American autoworkers.
``What I refuse to accept is that we have to sign trade deals like the South Korea Agreement that are bad for American workers,'' Obama said in a speech in April, according to his official campaign Web site.
``What I oppose ― and what I have always opposed ― are trade deals that put the interests of multinational corporations ahead of the interests of Americans workers ― like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and permanent normal trade relations with China.''
But one Korea specialist, who is reportedly advising the Obama camp, told The Korea Times Tuesday that he feels the Presidential hopeful is supportive of free trade in principle and will ultimately support the KORUS FTA after some changes.
``He is currently trying to make up for lost ground in Michigan, hence the particular focus on autos,'' said the advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
``However,'' he said, ``if you look at his key advisors, they are all free traders and his own speeches refer to his support of free trade.''
He noted that it would be instructive to compare Obama's position on KORUS FTA today to former U.S. President Bill Clinton's position on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1992. ``Ultimately it was Bill Clinton, and only Bill Clinton, who could get NAFTA passed,'' he said.
Ralph Cossa, a Korea specialist, added that ``everything Obama and McCain say in the next six months must be viewed through the prism of the November election.''
``I think Senator Obama will be strongly supportive of the Korea-U.S. alliance and understands the importance of Korea as a security ally and trading partner,'' said Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He also forecast that if elected, Obama may seek some minor cosmetic changes to the FTA, ``but I expect that he will be pro-trade; this is too big a deal and too important politically and economically for both sides to undermine.''
``I expect as the election draws closer, we will see some op-eds and other foreign policy statements coming from Senator Obama and I would expect that they will be very supportive of the alliances. I know many of his advisors quite well and know that they appreciate the importance of both relationships and believe that Obama does as well.''
Korea watchers may get to learn more about his Korea policy this summer. His campaign has begun forming a group of advisors that include some of the best-known Korea specialists and academics.
Obama's Korea advisory group includes former U.S. ambassadors to Korea Donald Gregg, Stephen Bosworth and Thomas Hubbard, according to a report last week from Radio Free Asia.
Others Korea experts joining the Obama camp include Gordon Flake, executive director at Washington D.C.-based Mansfield Foundation, and Joel Wit, a former State Department official with extensive knowledge of North Korean issues.
Frank Jannuzi, an aide to Senator Joseph Biden, and chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is also reportedly offering his advice to the Obama campaign on Korean issues. Another well-known advisor is Jonathan Pollack, professor of Asian and Pacific Studies and Director of the Strategic Research Department at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. Jeffrey Bader, senior fellow at Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, is reportedly supervising the development of Obama's overall Asia policy.
The Presidential hopeful's campaign is working on creating a comprehensive Korea policy and is scheduled to be unveiled in less than two months, according to Radio Free Asia.
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