Our Foreign Policy Faux Pas

With our fascination of celebrity, it is not unexpected that a few events that happened around the globe went basically ignored. And I suspect that the current administration may have applauded in silent appreciation for the lack of coverage of these events. Now me on the other hand, can see what may be building up on the fore front. With all of the focus on the American Economy, our foreign policy has only focused on the Middle East, and this includes Russia. However there are several other issues that much be addressed and all in concert with the global market place and the future policy making of America.

On the 28 of last month and mostly unspoken in this country, Argentina and Uruguay held elections that may represent a shift in the South American political spectrum. If is any indication of what is to come in the region, it may be a preview of what one may expect to occur in future presidential elections taking place in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay in 2009 and 2010.

I say this because we did not foresee or even were prepared to deal with what occurred in Honduras. No to mention it is essential that we reach out in advance to such nations especially if want to be in a better position to work with Russia and deal with our growing discordance with Iran. It will be difficult to truly enhance our relations with Russia especially with the growing pro-democracy movements in Ukraine and Georgia, Add to that the concern for Kosovo’s independence; the Obama administration will have its hands full for the Russians have not forgotten his threat to keep them from becoming a member of the World Trade Organization.

Throw in the mix China, which will most likely side with Russia before us and the gumbo thickens. The Nation has just past the US as the largest trading nation with Latin American nations and may have a player card on deck with out current nuclear conflict with North Korea. In order to pull rank on China, Obama needs to make them re-evaluate the impact of having a nuclear powered North Korea across the street seeing that they have been historically the biggest support of the current regime. But this will prove difficult for Obama given the recent violence in China’s Xinjiang region, where members of the mainly Muslim Uighur ethnic group have been battling with the military and police. Add to that the recent US Cap and Trade Bill, China may attempt to stall any diplomatic efforts the current administration has planned with any of the aforementioned countries. The Bill requires the president, starting in 2020 to impose special import taxes on goods from countries that do not have a similar cap-and-trade policy. China has been on the record saying that this is just a form of American "trade protectionism in the disguise of environmental protection".

The truth is that the Obama administration in concert with United Nations, Japan and South Korea have been ineffective in dealing with North Korea, and will need the assistance of Russia and China on this as well as with diplomatic outreach to Iran. Thus trying to turn the heat up on either China or Russia would not be productive. We can not depend on the G8 and the Obama team need to get with the program for we are in a global economic world and even ignoring the little man, as he have done with respect to Honduras, and not to be forward thinking is both a sign of poor planning and a lack of understanding with respect to the inter-connectedness of foreign policy. In stead it appears that we have merely a faux, a social blunder in the making. So Mr. President, time to hit the books and get to work, the smile and your blackness can’t do all the work for you to be a success.