President Barack Obama campaigned on a promise to restore America’s standing abroad, and this week, with his first overseas trip as president, will be a crucial test of those leadership skills.
Despite strong personal popularity abroad, Obama faces a great deal of skepticism from world leaders about his economic programs and war plans for Afghanistan.
Obama’s trip includes the Group of 20 economic summit in London, a NATO meeting in France, a European Union conference in Prague and meetings and events with leaders in Turkey.
Two of Obama’s biggest challenges will be among the first he tackles, as he meets separately Wednesday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“Medvedev will be taking the measure of Obama in the way that [Nikita] Khrushchev did of [John F.] Kennedy in Vienna, and it’s really important in dealing with Russian leaders or Russian governments that you hit the right note of firmness,” said Reginald Dale, senior fellow of European studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
At issue with Russia are its aspirations to expand its political influence, the still-unresolved missile defense program, the role the Russians will take in U.S. overtures toward Iran and Obama’s hopes that Russia will help him in Afghanistan.
Chinese and Russian officials last week called for creation of a new global reserve currency to replace the dollar, a notion the Obama administration has dismissed. The White House is being careful to set no specific goals for Obama’s meetings with the leaders, saying only that their talks are expected to cover a range of issues, including, in China’s case, North Korea’s prospective missile or satellite launch.
U.S. officials have long urged China to take a more active role in dealing with North Korea.
“It’s an opportunity to solidify what has been a very good start in the bilateral relationship, and obviously he’ll talk an awful lot about economic cooperation,” Denis McDonough, deputy national security adviser, said of Obama’s meeting with Hu.
The sit-downs with Russian and Chinese leaders are scheduled for Obama’s first day in London for the G20 summit. He also will meet with Queen Elizabeth and hold a series of private meetings.
The new president faces pressure from world leaders looking to the U.S. to jump-start its own economy, which they hope will serve as an engine to begin lifting the rest of the world from economic crisis.
After London, Obama heads to Strasbourg, France, and a discussion with NATO allies about Afghanistan. Specifically, Obama is looking for a greater commitment from other countries in routing out terrorists and restoring civil order.
“NATO discussions will have Russia sort of looming in the background as a specter,” said Jeffrey Mankoff, a Russian studies expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He noted that Russian officials are worried about the country’s loss of influence in Central Asia, but are also alarmed by the threat of increasing Islamic radicalism, including that inside Russia. More potential conflict with Moscow awaits Obama in the Czech Republic.
The Russians strongly opposed plans by George W. Bush’s administration to install a missile defense system in Poland and in the Czech Republic. Obama has indicted a lack of interest in pursuing the project but risks looking soft and alienating Poland in the bargain.
McDonough said a broad objective of Obama’s trip is re-energizing key alliances abroad.
“The president sees this trip … as opportunities to not just address the inherited challenges we face, but also to make sure that we’re focused forward on some of the emerging and looming challenges,” McDonough said.
