Foreign Policy Sidelined in Obama Address
By John J. Metzler
UNITED NATIONS ― Having been dealt a stunning setback in the recent Massachusetts senatorial election, seeing an erosion in his poll popularity numbers from a skeptical public and facing the dangerous undertow of double digit-unemployment, President Barack Obama was right to try to recalibrate his often fuzzy political message; jobs will be the No. 1 focus in 2010.
And rightly so given that with 7 million jobs lost during the current recession, including 3 million so far during his tenure in office, the economy must be front and center stage.
Yet after a year vying for the international limelight as probably the preeminent frequent flyer president in U.S. history, Obama pushed foreign policy issues to the back burner in his State of the Union address.
In a long-winded and laundry-list speech before U.S. Congress, the president raised some key issues affecting the still-anemic American economy.
He said correctly that small business remains the engine of economic growth, but failed to specifically show how his administration will create the conditions for sustained private sector job creation and regulatory reduction.
What often sounded like a political campaign speech nonetheless saw his bluster toward the controversial big bank bailouts, something which creates envy but does not create jobs.
But even the normally adoring New York Times wrote that the speech, ``was a confident performance, more defiant than contrite, more conversational than soaring.''
Concerning the global economy, he threw down a rhetorical gauntlet based on American fears that the United States is slipping internationally: ``China's not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany's not waiting. India's not waiting.''
He added, ``These nations aren't playing for second-place. Well, I do not accept second-place for the United States of America.'' Again we don't need political bluster but business incentives.
Obama called for a doubling of American exports over the next five years, and pledged to ``seek new markets aggressively.'' He stated in no unambiguous terms that our trading partners ``must play by the rules.''
He equally praised a few commercial partners such as South Korea, Panama and Columbia but curiously overlooked mentioning Canada, the European Union and Japan.
Interestingly the president called for a commitment to ``safe clean nuclear power plants'' and ``fast trains such as in China and Europe.''
Both very good proposals but politically moribund it seems, given the powerful ``just say no'' environmental lobby, which is part and parcel of his own Democratic Party.
There's no doubt that the U.S. lags in high speed rail travel, an ``off the shelf technology'' long perfected in Japan and France. Logically such rail service makes sense in the Boston-Washington corridor and in Florida.
On key foreign policy and security issues the words were few as have been his achievements. For the Islamic Republic of Iran, he described the regime as ``more isolated.''
Despite this, during his watch over the past year radical Iran has moved much closer to a nuclear weapons capacity. Let's be realistic.
President Obama presumed he could convince the Iranian regime to stop its nuclear proliferation through charm; the Atomic Ayatollahs connived against us and kept the nuclear research clock running. Tougher sanctions against Tehran in the U.N. Security Council are effectively blocked by Beijing.
There was no mention of the floundering Middle East peace process.
Afghanistan continues to confound the administration ― and every other player throughout history too. While Obama is sending an additional 30,000 troops to fight Islamic fundamentalism we are reassuringly assured that ``by July 2011 troops will begin to come home.''
This is either wishful thinking or part of a secret plan that the Taliban insurgents will sign up for an American jobs program?
He stated, ``America must always stand on the side of human freedom and dignity.'' So true. So why not mention human rights for the people of Cuba or Venezuela? What about Darfur? Has he forgotten Burma (Myanmar) and Zimbabwe?
Yet when looking at the economy or foreign policy for that matter, Virginia's recently inaugurated Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell perhaps said it best. The American people are looking for ``results not rhetoric.''
John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of ``Divided Dynamism ― The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China'' (University Press, 2001). He can be reached at jjmcolumn@att.net.