After months of deliberations with Barack Obama at the White House, the usually anxious expression of Prime Minister Reinfeldt was blown away. When the Swedish press (even they being exhilarated to get so close to the superstar of politics) were allowed in after an unusually long meeting in the Oval Office, the PM could be seen beaming like the sun.
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who also sat in on the meeting, maintained his calm. Behind the press melee, which jostled around Obama and Reinfeldt, Bildt looked on from a distance.
The meeting was dominated by the climate and Afghanistan, two issues where the Americans have a problem deciding on which foot to stand. Certainly Obama says he would like America to markedly reduce its emissions, but because the Senate isn’t in agreement on the issue he’ll be going to Copenhagen without an actual concrete mandate. And without any clear message from the U.S., there won’t be any binding global agreement.
In Afghanistan, the generals demand at least a further 40,000 soldiers on the ground, but it’s not clear if Obama will meet their demands – particularly after the cheating farce of the Karzai presidential election. Supporting a corrupt regime and at the same time strengthening their own military presence gives the Americans an unpleasant reminder of the Vietnam War.
The military and political challenges for President Obama (or Barack, as Reinfeldt calls him) are hardly smaller than when he won the election a year ago. Besides, on home ground, the healthcare reform issue is far from being resolved. The economy looks to be brightening a tad, but a historically large amount of Americans are still unemployed.
After a year he’s managed to strengthen his own cards, but by patting the back of his friend, Fredrik, he’s given the latter a trump card before the Swedish elections.
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