|
 |
|
SIGNIFICANT VISIT: Turkish President Abdullah Gul welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama in Ankara on April 6 (XINHUA/ANADOLU AGENCY) |
After finishing his busy schedule at the G20 summit, the NATO summit, and the summit between the European Union and the United States, U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Ankara on April 5 for a two-day visit to Turkey. He gave a speech to the Turkish Parliament on April 6 and held a question-and-answer session with Muslim students at a cultural center in Istanbul the following day. Turkey is the first Muslim country Obama has visited since he took office. Through this visit, he conveyed an important message that the United States is committed to advancing its relations with the Muslim world.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States highlighted the "clash of civilizations." The two ensuing wars waged by former U.S. President George W. Bush degraded America's relations with the Muslim world to a record low, while sowing the seeds of hatred in Muslim nations. As Islamic extremists went out of their way to demonstrate their discontent with the United States, the war against terrorism spawned even more terrorism. Obama moved into the White House chanting the slogan of "change," vowing to break new ground in areas where Bush hardly made any progress.
Since his inauguration in January, Obama has been active in promoting his new approach to diplomacy across the world. He has already extended goodwill to the Muslim world by promising to take part in the six-party talks on the Iranian nuclear issue without setting preconditions. His visit to Turkey, a telling example of shuttle diplomacy, further alleviated America's estrangement from the Muslim world.
Polishing image
As the subprime mortgage crisis peaked last fall, the United States plunged into the worst economic recession in decades. The Obama administration initiated a major economic stimulus package to restore confidence and lift the U.S. economy out of the recession. In this context, it devised a foreign policy largely aimed at seeking international support for its efforts to revive its economy. Also, it cannot afford to devote too much attention to diplomacy in the short term, now that the financial crisis has greatly constrained its financial power. Easing relations with the Muslim world, which has long been hostile to the United States, is a viable option for the Obama administration in the face of the current economic recession. It has to practice a foreign policy of rapprochement to lessen enmity in the international arena.
|
