'Oh Good, President Putin Has Arrived to Make His G-8 Presentation'

                                                                            [Ottawa Citizen, Canada]

Jordan Times, Jordan

Lesson for the Next U.S. Leader: No One Likes a Bully

"The chief lesson that any American Presidential candidate must learn is that the world is not America's backyard … International leadership comes through inspiring respect, not fear."

EDITORIAL

June 7, 2007

Jordan - The Jordan Times - Home Page (English)

Not being content with having set the Middle East ablaze, U.S. President George W. Bush now appears intent on rekindling the Cold War. American plans for a missile defense shield over Europe was a Cold War idea intended for Cold War purposes. Is it any wonder that Russia should so fiercely oppose it?

Once again this U.S. administration has misread the international mood. Surprising, considering that a Russia-expert is in charge of the State Department. Nevertheless, misread and miscalculate is what Washington has contrived to do, and now Bush is forced to act contritely even as Russia's President Vladimir Putin is bullish.

So while Putin compares Washington to the Nazis, Bush is left assuring Moscow of its friendly intentions. What astonishing hubris for the world's only superpower.

It is sincerely hoped that American Presidential hopefuls take serious notice. There are signs that they have. Candidates from both the Democratic and the Republican parties have been busy distancing themselves from the current administration. While Democrats cheerfully spoke of the roles they have in mind for former President Bill Clinton - if they should win, no Republican foresaw much they would like the current President to do.

The chief lesson that any candidate must learn is that the world is not America's backyard. America may have the world's largest economy and its most advanced military, but that doesn't mean everyone else is willing to follow its orders, especially when it is felt that the orders are morally vacuous and intended only to serve the narrow interests of that country.

International leadership comes through inspiring respect, not fear. No one likes a bully. And through everything, from global warming to the Middle East, from the “war on terror” to world development, this administration has inspired only loathing. It has done so because it has been unwilling to compromise or listen to anyone else.

Warm relations with Russia have gone cold. Europeans are embarrassed by Washington and on climate change, they are downright hostile. Poor old Tony Blair, ever the optimist, believes he still has a voice with Bush on the issue. We can only pray that he's right.

In this region, meanwhile, chaos prevails. While the United States took its big fat finger and stirred up the mess, we cannot, however, completely blame the country. We need to come up with regional solutions to regional problems and present them with a single voice. That means collectively, the Arab world needs to get its act together.

The peace initiative is a good start. But how our collective hangs together now that the Israeli PR machine has spun into action is the first test of our resolve.

Collective Arab resolve would have prevented Washington from making this mess in the first place. Now is the time to find a common vision to confront the next American president with - one who might just take it seriously.