The Last Chance

Last month, sitting at a café in Freetown, Sierra Leone, I had an interesting conversation with a former Oxford professor of African politics. While discussing the historic importance of the Sierra Leone presidential elections, the professor made a striking, desultory remark: "The symbol of America is no longer the Statue of Liberty. It is Guantanamo." At the time I didn't know what to make of the comment, choosing not to reply. Being an American and having travelled to so many places in the past few years, I make a concerted effort never to engage in talks about the Bush presidency’s foreign policy. I garnered from previous experiences that expressing your mind on this subject, at least internationally, can get you in some dangerous situations, especially at unforgiving watering holes.

Upon returning to the States, I gave his view some real thought. I tried to justify to myself that our misadventure in Iraq is not the be all and end all for America; tangible progress, military or political, could reverse this trend. My conscience told me otherwise. Still today, I question whether hubris has shattered America's global image so extensively that it is beyond repair.

A recent study published by The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) attests to this notion. The question asked whether the U.S. is having a positive or negative influence on the world. The results were quite astonishing: of the 26 countries polled, 20 believe the U.S. is having a negative effect on global affairs. The United States comes only second to North Korea in the ratings list. According to Dr. Steven Kull, Director of PIPA, “This reaction cannot simply be dismissed as something necessarily engendered by a powerful and rich country. The numbers we are seeing today are the lowest numbers that have ever been recorded.”

We cannot know what the future has in store. The increasing role of public opinion in international affairs, especially in regards to the sustainability of democracy, holds major salience in today’s evolving societies. But, our government can start right now by making concerted efforts to rectify our current ignominious global standing, paving the way for the next president to pursue amiable policies that foster international partnerships rather than destroying them. A new American leadership must speak to a higher moral value and emphasize international consensus. Effective solutions to our current global emergencies are imperative and America has the resources and the leadership potential to address them. If we reengage with our allies, our traditions, and most importantly, our own people, we can reengage with humanity and the liberal democratic ideal.

First, Washington politicians must stop with their partisan squabbling. The time for that is over. It is time to mobilize and join international actors on solving crises that threaten our very survival. Iraq must remain on the agenda, that is a given. But, it is not prudent, nor logical to believe that an immediate withdrawal from Iraq is a viable option. Doing so would push the country into further upheaval. With no functioning central government in Iraq, nor conciliation amongst warring Sunni factions, the prospects for peace in the Middle East would be disastrous.

In this case, we must also focus on a wider Middle East solution with special attention paid to the Iranians. They may hold a key to stabilizing Iraq. Emphasizing a quid-pro-quo approach on the nuclear dilemma while pursuing a cohesive diplomatic strategy to contain Islamic fascism in the greater region may provide favorable results. We must let Tehran know that meddling in Iraqi affairs is unacceptable.

Second, to President Bush’s credit, he has made some monumental strides in the area of foreign and humanitarian assistance, most notably in regards to Africa. Being the neoconservative that he is, it is positive to see that he has a genuine care for the plight of Africa’s people. Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times notes three areas of action. The first is Pepfar, the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that was created earlier this year. This ambitious project seeks to save over 12 million lives. The second foreign aid program is the Millennium Challenge Account, which will reward states practicing good governance with priority loans. It would be smart to emphasize World Bank initiatives on this one. Now that Robert Zoellick heads the institution, idealism can give way to strong management and efficiency. Finally, Mr. Kristof notes that “President Bush has begun to focus attention and funds on malaria, which kills more than 1 million people a year in poor countries and imposes a huge economic burden on Africa in particular.” Continued humanitarian intervention in Africa is not a choice, it’s a necessity.

Darfur is also a pressing issue. While the president was initially slow to react, recent actions directed at al-Bashir’s Khartoum government illustrate that the United States will no longer tolerate actions of genocide. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s recent visit to Sudan and other African states has yielded some powerful prospects towards the cessation of the conflict. But, we have seen similar scenarios in the past: negotiations begin and then wither before any substantive dialogue can occur.

China is a contributor to the conflict, providing much of the revenue (through oil sales) that arm the janjaweed (state-sponsored death squads). Secretary Rice must be forceful in her use of aggressive diplomacy with the Chinese government and insist it cease its trading relations with Sudan, no matter how lucrative, for the sake of global peace.

Finally, to restore American credibility and legitimacy in the world, we must actively work towards convincing other states to act tough in battling global warming and climate change. Working together with the French and the Germans in conjunction with the U.N., we can pursue alternative policies that work to reduce our global dependence on oil and emphasize the use of nuclear energy. In effect, we also diminish the strategic power autocratic regimes such as Iran, Venezuela, and to an extent Russia, have on global politics and dictating international commodity markets. With decreased oil revenues, these nations have no choice but to adhere to international norms.

This may be our last chance. President Bush has the opportunity to alter his legacy and America’s future in his waning months in office. Whether he will take advantage of this is a different story.