Ilham
12-06-2004, 02:45
SAVANNAH (Georgia) - The Bush administration has suddenly discovered diplomacy.
Foreign officials attending the Group of Eight Summit that concluded on Thursday said they noticed a distinct shift in the administration's tone and attitude.
Suddenly, they said, the Americans were more willing to listen, more eager to resolve differences and more interested in finding a pragmatic solution.
For three years, foreign leaders have slammed US President George W. Bush for taking a unilateralist approach to foreign policy.
On Thursday, the criticism was toned down.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was moved to declare after a meeting with Mr Bush: 'There has been a remarkable change in the American foreign policy.'
Other officials attending the summit did not go that far.
But even French President Jacques Chirac, who clashed with Mr Bush at the summit over Nato's role in Iraq, said he had noticed a difference during the negotiations at the United Nations over the Security Council resolution recognising the interim Iraqi government.
He praised the 'great openness of mind that was displayed by the diplomats for the United States'.
'I may say the Americans truly understood that they needed to play the game, and they did,' he added.
Tensions still were visible, especially over Iraq and Mr Bush's democracy push in the Middle East.
Bush administration officials privately concede that their diplomatic skills at times have been lacking, especially in the period before and after the Iraq war.
Now, after a year of grim news in Iraq, the administration is scrambling to build international support for the nascent Iraqi government, which requires that they listen to the concerns of other nations.
The administration's shift appears also to have been influenced by factors such as Mr Bush's ailing ratings and the recent prison abuse scandal in Iraq.
His aides especially wanted to show that, notwithstanding doubts about his handling of Iraq, he could set the agenda on the world stage.
So despite the reluctance of some key Europeans and Arabs, the administration pushed for the adoption of a plan to promote democracy in the Middle East.
Foreign officials said they were not sure if the new attentiveness marked a strategic shift, or merely was a temporary manoeuvre to get through the summit and past the presidential election. -- Washington Post
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,255805,00.html?
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Let's hope this isn't a temporary thing.Would love the Americans being more multilateral and less stubborn.
Foreign officials attending the Group of Eight Summit that concluded on Thursday said they noticed a distinct shift in the administration's tone and attitude.
Suddenly, they said, the Americans were more willing to listen, more eager to resolve differences and more interested in finding a pragmatic solution.
For three years, foreign leaders have slammed US President George W. Bush for taking a unilateralist approach to foreign policy.
On Thursday, the criticism was toned down.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was moved to declare after a meeting with Mr Bush: 'There has been a remarkable change in the American foreign policy.'
Other officials attending the summit did not go that far.
But even French President Jacques Chirac, who clashed with Mr Bush at the summit over Nato's role in Iraq, said he had noticed a difference during the negotiations at the United Nations over the Security Council resolution recognising the interim Iraqi government.
He praised the 'great openness of mind that was displayed by the diplomats for the United States'.
'I may say the Americans truly understood that they needed to play the game, and they did,' he added.
Tensions still were visible, especially over Iraq and Mr Bush's democracy push in the Middle East.
Bush administration officials privately concede that their diplomatic skills at times have been lacking, especially in the period before and after the Iraq war.
Now, after a year of grim news in Iraq, the administration is scrambling to build international support for the nascent Iraqi government, which requires that they listen to the concerns of other nations.
The administration's shift appears also to have been influenced by factors such as Mr Bush's ailing ratings and the recent prison abuse scandal in Iraq.
His aides especially wanted to show that, notwithstanding doubts about his handling of Iraq, he could set the agenda on the world stage.
So despite the reluctance of some key Europeans and Arabs, the administration pushed for the adoption of a plan to promote democracy in the Middle East.
Foreign officials said they were not sure if the new attentiveness marked a strategic shift, or merely was a temporary manoeuvre to get through the summit and past the presidential election. -- Washington Post
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,255805,00.html?
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Let's hope this isn't a temporary thing.Would love the Americans being more multilateral and less stubborn.