Memo to Clinton: US ain't top dog

[CHIMO]

Speaking in Washington before embarking on this week's Asian tour, Hillary Clinton set out the most definitive version yet of how the Obama administration intends to deal with the world. The US secretary of state spoke of "a new era of engagement based on common interests, shared values, and mutual respect" and of a foreign policy "blending principle and pragmatism".

Contrasting this collaborative approach with the "for us or against us" stance of the Bush administration, Clinton said the US would opt for diplomacy first when dealing with Iran, North Korea and other nations or adversaries. There were no guarantees of success; and dialogue did not imply acceptance of repressive regimes. But "we cannot be afraid or unwilling to engage ... as long as engagement might advance our interests".

Clinton's call for a "multi-partner" rather than a multi-polar world is the diplomatic equivalent of police brutality victim Rodney King's famous (and unsuccessful) plea for mutual tolerance at the height of the 1992 Los Angeles race riots. "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?" asked King. Clinton's similar, less eloquent call for international amity and understanding may also have limited impact. Today North Korea's hothead leadership lambasted her, saying she resembled "a pensioner going shopping". So no breakthrough just yet.

More surprisingly perhaps, Clinton's visits this week to India and Thailand, where she met leaders of south-east Asian nations and her Chinese, Russian, South Korean and Japanese counterparts, suggested to some that the US may struggle to maintain constructive partnerships with its allies, let alone its enemies. These tensions are only partly attributable to George Bush's toxic legacy and resulting anti-Americanism. They have more to do with perceived changes in the global balance of power, principally a post-crash decline in US clout and a parallel expansion of Chinese and Indian influence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/23/hillary-clinton-asia-tour

[KakistocracyHater]

1. The merchants in America are part of why India & China are growing powers

& this trend started in the 1980s-if not earlier. The big box retailers had a hand in this; imagine my surprise when I caught a Michael Moore film from the 90s, where the CEO of Nike said(like Dubyna)"Americans don't want to make shoes", yet many workers showed up to try to change the exec's mind & keep the company in America. I wonder if the Naval War College has taken into account how civilian corps. can shift power from friends thru the spectrum into hostile nations, & just what to do about such activities....Not to mention our OTHER military branches.