http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-heilbrunn/obamas-foreign-policy-moj_b_183445.htmlJacob Heilbrunn
Author, They Knew They Were Right: the Rise of the Neocons
Posted April 6, 2009 | 11:18 AM (EST)
Obama's Foreign Policy Mojo
Remember when President Obama's opponents tried to paint him as wet behind the ears when it came to foreign policy? By any measure, Obama's first presidential trip abroad has dispelled that charge. Again and again, Obama has demonstrated both visionary qualities and practical skills.
It took Obama to settle the issue of who would become the next NATO General Secretary. It was Obama who held out the prospect of a nuclear-free world. But perhaps Obama's most audacious moment came before the Turkish parliament.
Speaking before it, he announced, ""The United States has been enriched by Muslim-Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because I am one of them." As the New York Times reports today, Obama is sure to be vilified by right-wing commentators as a double-agent, a Muslim masquerading as an American.
But as Europe grapples with the issue of making Turkey a full-fledged member of the European Union and with Turkish immigrants living in its midst, Obama's speech was courageous and far-sighted. Europe remains mired in lethargy, unable to address the pressing issues, ranging from terrorism to Turkey to unemployment, that assail it. Obama, by contrast, is tackling them head-on. He's essentially saying to Europeans: "Get up to speed," partly because America can't carry you along by itself any more.
Obama, then, isn't just acting like an American president, but a world leader.