Richard LeBaron, Chargé d'Affaires a.i.
Speeches & Remarks
16 June 2009
The Obama Foreign Policy: Leadership on Tough Issues
Clare Hall, Cambridge University
It is an honor to be with you here today at Clare Hall. I want to thank Sir
Martin for inviting me to speak. As an American, I'd like to thank the college
for hosting this special week that celebrates the intellectual, artistic and
cultural life of the United States. I understand that American fellows and students
make up a significant part of the Clare Hall community, and I have a special
pitch I want to make to them at the end of my remarks.
I hope at some point in this week you spend some time thinking about the legacy
of Abraham Lincoln in this, the bicentennial year of his birth. His leadership
style, and his ability to exercise visionary leadership under burdens that few
of us can even imagine, is an inspiration to us all. Another reason to look
back at Lincoln is because his life and actions is a subject dear to the heart
of the current occupant of the White House.
We shouldn't be surprised by that, and not just because President Obama is
our first African-American President and from Illinois. We live in challenging
times. America and its allies are faced with a host of issues that require leadership.
We are in the worst global recession since the Great Depression. We face continuing
threats from violent extremists at a time when technology can give a handful
of fanatics the ability to do great harm. Our militaries are conducting ongoing
operations in two war zones simultaneously. Creating global solutions to the
threat of climate change is increasingly urgent.
Leadership Style
So what I'd like to do this evening is reflect a bit on the evolution of President
Obama's leadership style and then see how it is reflected in the foreign policy
choices that he has made since becoming President only a short time ago.
He has provided steady leadership in unsteady times. Upon taking office, he
obviously faced a daunting set of economic and national security challenges.
How has he approached them?
The characteristics of the President's leadership style were evident before
he assumed the office. And, although it now seems like an old story, it still
seems to me that the simple fact that Barack Obama made the choice to pursue
the Presidency when he did, in the face of considerable skepticism, formidable
competition and the unknowable odds against an African-American becoming President,
provides considerable insight into his character as a leader. It indicates pretty
clearly a high level of self-confidence, an ability to organize around a goal
and a determination not to judge which issues to tackle on the basis of their
relative difficulty.
The President's confidence in assembling strong leaders around him, harking
back to Lincoln, is also evident in his choice of Secretaries Clinton and Gates.
This is a way of working that goes back to the President's student days. Nineteen
years ago he was elected the first African-American President of the Harvard
Law Review. A fellow student at the time recalls how "he did an amazing
job keeping the peace among a group of very fractious personalities and big
egos." Another contemporary remembers, "He led the discussion, but
wasn't trying to impose his own perspective, he was much more mediating."
Before he worked in academia, he worked with deprived communities in Chicago;
and as the man who hired him in 1983 said, "The foundational skill of organizing
is to be a good listener and Obama does that well." The President's constitutional
law professor also recognized this key attribute, reporting that "he's
able to build on what other students say and see what's valuable in their comments."
But, as candidate Obama said during the campaign, "The next president
has to lead (and be) willing to stand up even when it is difficult." We
have seen that leadership in action since January 20. We have seen a President
who not only consults and listens, but who also recognizes that the United States
is an exceptional country. It must lead; the world expects us to lead and has
been overwhelmingly open to the President's leadership and to his formulation
of U.S. interests in the world and open to his ideas on how to pursue them.
We have seen that in his initial trips abroad. I had the privilege of observing
the President in action in London. I've been around long enough to see a few
Presidents interact with their counterparts. What struck me about President
Obama was his combination of a clear ability as an empathetic listener with
a very well-informed and nuanced approach as he worked through long and complex
agendas with his counterparts. And in some cases, for example in meeting the
Chinese and Russian Presidents, these were the first personal contacts between
the leaders. So believe me when I say - President Obama can do diplomacy.
Policy Choices
But enough about leadership characteristics and style -- policy is about choices.
And by definition, the choices that a President needs to make carry high levels
of risk and huge burdens of responsibility. So let me review just a few of the
major choices that the President has made in what frankly is not a very long
period since his election.
He said he would tackle the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and he has done so
in a clear and decisive way -- defining solutions to this long conflict as a
principal U.S. national security objective. Special Envoy George Mitchell was
appointed on the President's second day in office. Soon after, the President
made clear his views on the obligations incumbent on both sides in order to
get on the path back to productive negotiations. He has also decided to engage
Syria in pursuit of a comprehensive peace. As many of you know, few Presidents
have chosen to take on this thorny issue early in their first term. And some
have looked at the political constellation in Israel or the Palestinian Authority
and concluded that the time is not right. This President chose to engage.
He chose to send more of our young men and women, both military and civilian,
to Afghanistan. He and Secretary Clinton chose a strong envoy in Richard Holbrooke
and defined the clear goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating Al Qaeda.
The President went to Congress for additional funds for the military and civilian
efforts to achieve these goals. We witnessed some of the healthy skepticism
that our elected officials exercise when the Administration is making choices
that will inevitably result in great human costs for some American families.
The President knows that there is limited time to show positive results - the
American people don't give us blank checks for open-ended commitments. We need
to see rapid improvement in security for the Afghan people, along with an expansion
of economic opportunity. These two objectives are equally applicable in Pakistan.
While the approach will not be the same, the concerns are shared, and success
is needed in Pakistan to ensure success in Afghanistan.
The President demonstrated his ability to act on many fronts at the same time
with his approaches to Russia and China. On Russia, he used his first meeting
with President Medvedev to reaffirm that Washington and Moscow share common
definitions for many of the threats and opportunities that we see in the world
today. He chose to begin negotiations with Russia on a new treaty to replace
the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. These actions reflect the commitment of
both Presidents to move beyond Cold War mentalities and to chart a new course
in relations between our countries. The task is now to translate that sentiment
into actual achievements as we look ahead to a July summit in Moscow. While
we have achieved a welcome change in tone in our relationship at the official
level, we are under no illusion that translating this into practice will be
easy or quick. U.S.-Russia relations will continue to be characterized by a
complex mix of cooperation and competition.
The President also met with Chinese President Hu when in London. As with Russia,
President Obama chose to engage the Chinese Government in a wide-ranging and
strategic manner, with plans for an early visit to China and new structures
for senior-level engagement on a wide variety of topics. This includes climate
change; our Climate Change Envoy Todd Stern was in China last week, working
to find common ground with the nation that has surpassed the U.S. in the production
of greenhouse gases.
Even in the midst of our current economic difficulties, with the economy only
beginning to recover, the President chose to lead on climate change. His team
is consulting around the world in a concerted effort to find a path forward
to sharply reduce greenhouse gases. He chose to invest 150 billion dollars in
clean energy research and development as part of this effort, and we are involved
now in a thorough national debate on how to move forward to limit and reduce
emissions.
The President has kept his word on the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from
Iraq, and changing the nature of our presence and support for the Iraqi government.
Within weeks, U.S. troops will no longer be patrolling in Iraqi cities.
He chose to reach out a hand to Iran and Cuba. On Cuba, during the Summit
of the Americas earlier this year, the President called for a "new beginning"
to the U.S.-Cuba relationship. He lifted restrictions on family travel and remittances
to Cuba. A month ago, he asked Cuba to restart migration talks - a request which
Cuba has accepted along with re-starting direct mail services between Cuba and
the U.S. At the Organization of American States Summit early this month, a path
was agreed that would allow Cuba to rejoin as a member, although to date Cuba
has rejected that path. These actions on the part of the United States signal
the biggest change to our approach to Cuba in the last forty years.
Iran is perhaps an even bigger challenge, and yet the President has committed
to trying to open a dialogue with Iran as well. His approach is to reach out
to Iran to suggest talks without preconditions, and with a wide range of issues
on the table. But the issue of non-proliferation is time sensitive, and dialogue
for dialogue's sake is not what this is about. In the absence of meaningful
progress, other measures, such as enhanced economic sanctions, will have to
be considered. We're watching events unfold now in Iran; we're trying to assess
the situation. We're deeply troubled by the reports of violence, arrests, and
possible voting irregularities. The right of people to express themselves peacefully
needs to be respected.
On another important matter, and despite the difficulties, President Obama
chose to close Guantanamo. In the President's words, there are "no neat
or easy answers" in dealing with the Guantanamo detainee issues, but he
is determined to see it through. Terrorism presents all democratic societies
with a delicate balancing act - preserving liberty, while keeping our people
safe. This issue is not going away soon, and it is manifesting itself in many
ways around the world -- such as the High Court ruling last week about control
orders in the UK, for example. The release of four Uighurs to Bermuda last week
was not without controversy, but none of the decisions about this matter are
going to be simple.
Yesterday, another very important step was taken when the European Union and
its Member States approved a joint statement with the United States on closure
of Guantanamo and further counter-terrorism cooperation. We face common threats
and now we have the will and mechanisms to deal with them together in a much
more constructive way.
New Beginning with Muslims
The President's determination to lead "a new beginning" with Muslims
around the world started in his campaign and carried over into the early interview
with Al Arabiyya, his speech in Turkey, his personal contacts with Muslim leaders,
his Nowruz message to Iran, and of course his recent speech in Cairo. As he
said in Cairo, "Islam and America are not exclusive and need not be in
competition." I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East and a lot of
time in Washington working on Middle East and Islamic world issues.
No speech on the topic of America and Islam ever generated anything like the
interest and the positive reaction that President Obama's Cairo speech did.
The new beginning the President proposes is based on the idea of mutual interests
and mutual respect and includes a sustained effort to listen to, learn from
and respect each other. He approached this by discussing his personal experience
growing up with Muslim family members and in a Muslim-majority country. He acknowledged
the enormous contributions Islam has made to world civilization, and how Muslims
have weaved their story into the American tapestry. He spoke honestly and clearly
about the issues that we share an interest in confronting: violent extremism,
finding a way for Israelis and the Palestinians to live in peace and security,
stopping nuclear proliferation, promoting democracy, human rights, religious
freedom and the rights of women. He acknowledged the tensions between many Muslims
and the United States about these issues and pledged an open dialogue to seek
common ground. And, going back to my earlier point, he made clear that he had
made a personal commitment to taking this dialogue forward.
Now, the President is very aware that though important, and though it was well
received, it was still only a speech. People in the Middle East in particular
will want to see the follow-up actions and will correctly judge the Administration
by its efforts and results. At the same time, the President will continue to
remind all countries in the region and elsewhere to not only focus on what the
United States will do, but also on what they will do to contribute to positive
change.
Summary
In paying tribute to Abraham Lincoln earlier this year, the President reflected
on Lincoln's ability to make "tough choices, and speak the truth when least
convenient." His foreign policy choices are testimony to his own ability
to do the same. As he said when he was still a Senator, "If you think that
fundamental change can wait, then I'm definitely not your man."
And let us not forget that all these tough foreign policy choices are being
made at a time when domestic policy -- including precedent-shattering economic
policy initiatives and a determination to act on universal health coverage --
are enough to keep any Administration busy, without other distractions. Yesterday,
President Obama laid out in detail his vision for fundamental change in our
health system. What that system won't be is an imitation National Health Service.
What the President would like to see and is determined to fight for is a system
of incentives that encourages preventive care, a system that identifies and
rewards the best treatments, and a system that offers a variety of insurance
plans, with every plan offering an affordable basic package.
Good leadership is about making the right call at the right moment. The President
has made his calls. He has drawn on the insights of the advisers around him
and the advice of his fellow world leaders, and made decisions that have sent
America in a different direction. Time will judge the outcomes, but few can
question the considered conviction and the spirit of determined engagement that
guides the choices President Obama has made.
He has shown, through such actions as sending more troops to Afghanistan, that
he knows talk alone cannot solve all of these dilemmas. But he is committed
to the idea that sustained engagement is central to finding common ground with
other nations to help solve the many problems facing the world today. Internationally,
he is committed to a respectful dialogue with allies and - when possible - with
opponents. In Washington, he wants to work with both parties in Congress on
these policies to get as much support as possible from our legislative branch.
In both instances, his approach is to explain to audiences, with honesty and
logic, what our mutual interests are and what our goals must be.
Before closing, I'd like to encourage the Americans in the audience to consider
a career in the U.S. diplomatic service. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
is securing new resources for the State Department, allowing us to hire in numbers
that we have not seen in several years. Now more than ever our work has a global
impact. Our Foreign Service reflects the diversity and breadth of American society.
Foreign Service Officers come from every state, speak a variety of languages,
and have expertise in fields ranging from American Studies to Political Science
to Zoology.
The selection process for the Foreign Service begins with the Foreign Service
exam. Everything is online, including exam registration. It is free, and demand
is heavy, so if you are considering the Foreign Service as a career, I suggest
you visit www.careers.state.gov soon for more information and to register for
the exam.
Thank you for your kind attention. I'd be happy to take some questions and
hear your comments.
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Speeches & Remarks