Friday, April 03, 2009

Obama On America's Standing In The World.



I happen to think that Obama's election alone did much to restore America's standing in the world, though the world has the right to reserve judgment until he delivers on his promises.

But here, he spells out how different the world is since Roosevelt and Churchill sat down at Bretton Woods. As Obama reminds us, the world is very different now. Germany is rebuilt, Japan is rebuilt, China and India are on the way to becoming superpowers.

Obama seems to deal with these realities in a way which his predecessors did not. Unlike Bush, Obama is not simply dictating what he thinks should be done, he is negotiating and realising that each country has their own interests and looking for a common solution which is the best compromise for all concerned.

That is the way which America will restore her image in the eyes of the world. It was best summed up by Bill Clinton at the Democratic Convention when he stated:

"People are more impressed by the power of our example rather than the example of our power..."
Obama appears to have grasped this.

Where Bush led, very few followed. Obama is reversing this and he is doing so through consultation. That's to be applauded.

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