The Big Projects of Kerry“The European”
Is it because he lived in Berlin as a child while his diplomat father was stationed in Germany? Because he spent his holidays in France with his parents? Because he often returns to Brittany to see his cousin, the ecologist Brice Lalonde? Whatever the reason, John Kerry loves Europe. He’s the biggest Europhile secretary of state that the Unites States has had for a long time. The new head of American diplomacy, who speaks French very well, has great ambitions on the matter, and seems very determined to leave his mark on history.
By deciding to start off his term with an eleven-day tour taking him from Berlin to the Middle East, Kerry clearly wants to set a new direction. His marathon, which goes through the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, is supposed to be a symbol of a new era of diplomacy that will re-establish a partnership with Europe on the major crisis issues. On the agenda is the Iranian military program, Mali, Syria (a delicate issue on which he has already been severely criticized for continuing to support Bashar Assad during the first weeks of the conflict before making a U-turn). Additionally, he hopes to make progress on the Israel-Palestine case, which once again stands at an impasse, as well as to warm up relations with Russia, which are colder than ever. In short, although the new secretary of state may say that it is a “listening tour,” he projects great ambitions.
Will he succeed in realizing them? One must admit that Barack Obama does not think much of Europe. Neither does the American public. The American president never brought up the subject during the big debates preceding the elections; he has not been to Berlin since 2008. The only things that matter to him today are the commercial agreements on free trade that he has just passed. We are far from John Kerry’s great diplomatic aims. Hillary Clinton, who preceded Kerry, began by going to Asia, clearly indicating what Washington’s priorities were…
As for the Middle East, it’s clear that America today no longer aims to be the master of the world. American exceptionalism, the feeling of being a nation apart, above others, has been around for a long time. Today, the priorities of the White House are saving its economy and creating jobs.
One must also remember that John Kerry was not Obama’s first choice for this strategic position. Certainly, he has forged the reputation of a specialist on international issues in Congress; as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has already been assigned many pressing cases. He has a nice collection of heads of state in his address book. But without the Benghazi scandal and the assassination of the American ambassador, Susan Rice would have certainly gotten the job. He is not close to the President. The successor of Hillary Clinton has many advantages. But he won’t necessarily have control.
By deciding to start off his term with an eleven-day tour taking him from Berlin to the Middle East, Kerry clearly wants to set a new direction. His marathon, which goes through the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, is supposed to be a symbol of a new era of diplomacy that will re-establish a partnership with Europe on the major crisis issues. On the agenda is the Iranian military program, Mali, Syria (a delicate issue on which he has already been severely criticized for continuing to support Bashar Assad during the first weeks of the conflict before making a U-turn). Additionally, he hopes to make progress on the Israel-Palestine case, which once again stands at an impasse, as well as to warm up relations with Russia, which are colder than ever. In short, although the new secretary of state may say that it is a “listening tour,” he projects great ambitions.
Will he succeed in realizing them? One must admit that Barack Obama does not think much of Europe. Neither does the American public. The American president never brought up the subject during the big debates preceding the elections; he has not been to Berlin since 2008. The only things that matter to him today are the commercial agreements on free trade that he has just passed. We are far from John Kerry’s great diplomatic aims. Hillary Clinton, who preceded Kerry, began by going to Asia, clearly indicating what Washington’s priorities were…
As for the Middle East, it’s clear that America today no longer aims to be the master of the world. American exceptionalism, the feeling of being a nation apart, above others, has been around for a long time. Today, the priorities of the White House are saving its economy and creating jobs.
One must also remember that John Kerry was not Obama’s first choice for this strategic position. Certainly, he has forged the reputation of a specialist on international issues in Congress; as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has already been assigned many pressing cases. He has a nice collection of heads of state in his address book. But without the Benghazi scandal and the assassination of the American ambassador, Susan Rice would have certainly gotten the job. He is not close to the President. The successor of Hillary Clinton has many advantages. But he won’t necessarily have control.
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