A16 The World
Obama shifts tack in foreign relations
President is nowrelying less on personal appeal than on policies
BY SCOTTWILSON
yokohama, japan—Within the high stone walls of St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, Ashreen Ira- ni, a 19-year-old management major, asked President Obama a question that left her fellow stu- dents murmuring nervously over its bluntness. “Why is Pakistan such an im-
portant ally of theUnited States?” Irani said in the city where, two years ago, militants trained in Pakistan came ashore and killed more than 160 people in a days- long siege. “Why hasn’t America called it a terrorist state?” Obama, his shirt collar open to
the morning heat, told the stu- dent audience that he expected the question. Pakistan’s stability matters to the United States, Obama explained, and it should matter to India’s young genera- tion also. Themoment,whichcameearly
in his Asian tour, announced a shift in how the world views the first African American president of the United States two years into his term. A president once judged largely on the power of his personal story is now being judged more on his policies. In seeking to repair the U.S.
image abroad during his first year in office, Obama often used him- self as a parable of America’s ability to learn from its mistakes. But Obama is now pushing
policies to strengthen American security and accelerate the U.S. economic recovery, unfolding more slowly than in many other nations, that have met resistance
overseas. He encountered criticism in
India over U.S. aid to Pakistan, resistance to his trade ambitions in South Korea and frustration from leaders of the Group of 20 nations with U.S. monetary poli- cy. Those challenges made for some unscripted encounters with the public and some awkward ones with some heads of state. But there were also flashes of
the first-year magic — from his appearance inside India’s parlia- ment to his ecstatic reception at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, a childhood home. Na- tional security adviser Thomas E. Donilon called the visits “seminal events” in the U.S. relationship with those countries. At the end of his 10-day trip,
which he concluded Sunday with a meeting withRussian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama re- turns home with a mix of success- es in raising America’s profile in Asia and setbacks in transform- ing the growing markets of the region into ones more amendable toU.S. exports. “It’s not just a function of per-
sonal charm,” Obama said after the Group of 20 meeting in Seoul, referring to the economic issues that remain largely unresolved. “It’s a function of countries’ inter- ests and seeing if we can work through to align them.”
India: Complaint Obama left Washington weak-
ened politically after midterm voters punished his party for the anemic U.S. economy. His mis- sion in Asia, home to some of the world’s fastest growing econo- mies, was primarily an economic one.
Over three days, his longest
stay in any foreign country as president, Obama announced the removal of export controls on
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES President Obama is now pushing policies to strengthenU.S. security and accelerate the nation’s economic recovery.
India’s space and defense indus- try, supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on an expanded U.N. Security Council and an- nounced export contracts forU.S. airplanes, jet engines,andmining equipment. His message: India generates U.S. jobs, not just takes them. The political symbolism of his
visit was also difficult to miss. In addressing the parliament
of the world’s largest democracy, Obamatied Gandhi’s legacy to the American civil rights movement that paved the way for his presi- dency. Hours later on the candle-lit
grounds of the Rashtrapati Bha- van, once the palatial seat of the British viceroy, Obama and the first lady,Michelle, were honored at a state dinner. Ben Rhodes, the deputy na-
tional security adviser for strate- gic communication, said few for- eign trips have relied on Obama’s
public appearances as much as the one to India. “Part of what captivated them
was his biography,” Rhodes said. “The connection that, frankly, they just drawfrom Gandhi to the civil rights movement to the pres- ident is something that had huge resonance in India.” Rhodes said the extensive me-
dia coverage in India of the cou- ple’s second day in Mumbai — their dancing with schoolchil- dren at a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and the St. Xavier’s town-hall forum —“is part of what made this such as a successful visit.” But Obama was also the target
of tough commentary over his policy in Pakistan, against which India has fought three major wars. He did not mention Paki- stan in a wreath-laying commem- oration of the Nov. 26, 2008, terrorist attacks inMumbai.
Indonesia: A homecoming Landing in Jakarta, a trip
Obama twice postponed, the wid- ening ash plume from theMerapi volcano threatened to cut the 24-hour trip even shorter. In the end, he shaved two hours off his stay.
But Obama managed to carry
out the centerpiece of his visit, an address from the world’s most populous Muslim-majority na- tion. More than 6,000 students, civil
activists, and others filled the auditorium at the University of Indonesia. Their exuberance recalled the
sense of celebrity that accompa- nied Obama’s overseas tours last year, including the expectant op- timism of his audience at the University of Cairo, where he called for a “newbeginning” with the Islamic world. “Pulang kampung nih,” said
Obama, using the Indonesian for “This is my homecoming,” to laughter and cheers from the stu- dents.
Obama envisioned the address
as a follow to his Cairo speech, which helped begin an outreach toMuslims that he acknowledged is a work in progress. Administration officials said
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Obama’s biography, which he em- phasized in the speech, amplified his message of economic coopera- tionandpolitical affinitybetween the countries.
South Korea: No deal A newassertive Obama was on
display in South Korea, the first stop of his tour that did not involve any public events. After marking Veterans Day at
a U.S. Army garrison outside Seoul, Obama met with South Korean President Lee Myung- bak, a formerHyundai executive. In June, Obama set this meet-
ing with Lee as the deadline for securing a free-trade agreement with SouthKorea, an initiative he inherited from the Bush adminis- tration. U.S. officials estimate that the deal would increase the export of American goods by $10 billion a year and support 70,000 jobs in theUnited States. The two leaders failed to reach
an agreement despite an inten- siveroundof last-minute negotia- tions. The primary sticking point is a guarantee that South Korea will import more American cars
to compete with its thriving auto industry. Any deal would have to pass Congress, where, after his party’s midterm losses, Obama has far less room to maneuver. Compounding that perception
of political weakness, Lee de- clined to endorse the Fed’s move to pump $600 billion into the economy, asObamahad earlier in the week.
The economic summits The timing of theFed’s “quanti-
tative easing,” which Obama said several times he does not control but supports in principle, compli- cated his ability to persuade his G-20 counterparts to pressure China over its currency. The two-day meeting ad-
journed with the issue of China’s currency and its lopsided trade account with the United States largely unresolved. Even Obama’s post-conference assessment reflected his clipped ambition for what international forums are capable of accom- plishing. “We should not anticipate that
every time countries come to- gether that we are doing some revolutionary thing,” Obama said. “Instead of hitting home runs, sometimes we’re going to hit singles.” His attendance at the Asia-Pa-
cific Economic Cooperation con- ference here — a forum the Bush administration paid little atten- tion to at the end of its tenure — was intended to signal Obama’s ambition to play a bigger part in the region. Seven of the United States’ 15 top trading partners are APEC members, Obama told business leaders Saturday. Aquestion heading toAsia was
whether the “shellacking,” in Obama’s words, he took in the midterm elections would weaken his ability to work with foreign leaders. Obama rejected the connec-
tion at the end of the G-20 meet- ing, saying he has developed “genuine friendships” with some leaders and that it wasn’t any easier to talk about currency [with Chinese President Hu Jin- tao] when I had just been elected, and my poll numbers were at 65 percent, than it is now.” “It was hard then, and it’s still
hard,” Obama said.
wilsons@washpost.com
Japan strives tomend ties after disputeswith China, Russia
BY CHICO HARLAN
tokyo — Beginning twin diplo- matic repair jobs, JapanesePrime Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday met with leaders from China and Russia to discuss territorial dis- putes that have strained relations between Japan and its massive neighbors. The bilateral meetings with
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Med- vedev, on the sidelines of this weekend’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Yokohama, represented Kan’s at- tempt to steer awayfromtensions that have overshadowed his re- cent agenda and drawn domestic criticism. Kan’s meeting with Hu was a
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last-second arrangement, coming hours after several thousand demonstrators — shouting anti- China slogans — marched through downtown Yokohama. Chinese and Japanese officials had spent days trying to orches- trate the meeting, the leaders’ first official get-together since a Sept. 7 boat collision drove Sino- Japanese relations to their lowest point in years. Japanese DeputyChief Cabinet
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Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama, speaking to reporters, character- ized theHu-Kanmeeting as a “big
step towards improvement” but did not say whether the leaders had reconciled territory issues. Political analysts in Tokyo view
this APEC summit as a test for Kan’s diplomacy. Since the colli- sionamongaChinese trawlerand two Japanese patrol boats near disputed islands in the East Chi- naSea, Japan has faced the conse- quences of a hostile China. When Japan arrested and detained the captain,China cut diplomatic ties and stopped the shipment of rare earth elements, necessary in ev- erything from hybrid cars to bat- teries.
According to Japanese Trade
Minister Akihiro Ohata, China now plans to relax restrictions on rare earths exporting. A second decades-old territori-
al dispute rekindled on Nov. 1, when Medvedev — returning from Vietnam — detoured to is- lands that are administered by Russia but claimed by Japan. Be- fore Medvedev spent four hours on Kunashiri Island, touring a fish processing factoryandtaking a few photos of the barren land- scape, no Russian leader had stepped on the land. Outraged Japanese officials recalled their ambassador from Moscow. Rus- sian ForeignMinister Sergei Lav- rov called the Japanese reaction “unacceptable.”
harlanc@washpost.com
EZ SU
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
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