Richard Wolffe: Obama-Cameron special relationship?
['Renegade: The Making of Barack Obama', by Richard Wolffe, is published by Virgin Books.]
One is the son of a Kenyan goatherd, the other a son of Eton. One is called a socialist by his critics, the other is accused of wanting to destroy the welfare state. Could there be two more disparate leaders of the special relationship than Barack Obama and David Cameron? Only if you believe the caricatures. And only if you think the two are incapable of setting aside their cultural differences to pursue common goals.
There is indeed a vast difference between the personal stories of Obama and Cameron, just as there are chasms of culture between the President of the United States and the leader of just about every other country. For that matter, there is a cultural chasm between President Obama's childhood and that of just about every other elected official in Washington.
Obama has still managed to charm his foreign counterparts as well as members of Congress. And despite the political attacks on his elitist upbringing, David Cameron appears to have little problem connecting with the readers of newspapers that prefer to call him Dave. Both men have displayed the political and social skills to work with people far outside their personal circles.
In fact, they have displayed those skills together, face-to-face. As I report in my new book, Renegade, when Obama travelled to London last summer – in the middle of the presidential election – he sat down with both Cameron and Gordon Brown. He and his aides found Cameron more energetic and engaging than the downbeat Brown. They appreciated Cameron's skills as a candidate at the time, although they have since expressed ample appreciation for Brown's policy expertise in finance and economics.
Still, there is no substitute for building on an instant rapport with the man who now leads the free world. The alternative – an instant lack of rapport – can be hard to overcome: just ask Italian diplomats who have been forced to explain why Silvio Berlusconi sounded so unhappy with Obama's popularity in London, and joked in such poor taste about the colour of his complexion.
But beyond the personal chemistry, there is an argument that President Obama's world-view will put him at odds with a Conservative British prime minister. During much of the last 18 months, commentators in Britain have warned regularly that Barack Obama harbours some kind of inner distrust of the United Kingdom, and western Europe in general. According to this oft-repeated theory, he has apparently nurtured the colonial resentments of a Kenyan father he never knew. Some even point to Obama's first book, citing an anecdote he recounts about a snottily arrogant British schoolboy he meets on a plane.
Foreign policy experts have their own take on this: that Obama simply gravitates more to the developing world, especially Africa, and thus cares little for Britain. Surely such sentiments will spring to the surface with an Eton-educated counterpart?
These are far-fetched fears, with more than a touch of prejudice thrown in. Obama's interests and positions are uniquely American, not African. The only criticism of colonial Britain that you will hear from him – or any other US politician – relates to George III and the revolutionary war. To be sure, Obama knows and cares more about Africa than his predecessors. But the same is true of Gordon Brown.
Besides, President Obama will be much more interested in pressing Cameron on his commitment to Afghanistan. This represents by far the biggest foreign policy challenge to Obama. He needs broad international support for both the military operations he is likely to intensify, and for the political goals that will define his exit strategy. That support – in defining and executing a strategy – needs to transcend a post-Brown era, and Cameron will rapidly become a close partner of Obama, as long as they see eye-to-eye on what is achievable in Afghanistan.
Cameron can also show his effectiveness as an ally with his commitment to limiting climate change. Here, President Obama's ambitions to forge international agreement will be constrained by the size of his foreign agenda. A partner in Downing Street who can act as a credible negotiator, especially with India and China, will be invaluable in building a working partnership...
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
One is the son of a Kenyan goatherd, the other a son of Eton. One is called a socialist by his critics, the other is accused of wanting to destroy the welfare state. Could there be two more disparate leaders of the special relationship than Barack Obama and David Cameron? Only if you believe the caricatures. And only if you think the two are incapable of setting aside their cultural differences to pursue common goals.
There is indeed a vast difference between the personal stories of Obama and Cameron, just as there are chasms of culture between the President of the United States and the leader of just about every other country. For that matter, there is a cultural chasm between President Obama's childhood and that of just about every other elected official in Washington.
Obama has still managed to charm his foreign counterparts as well as members of Congress. And despite the political attacks on his elitist upbringing, David Cameron appears to have little problem connecting with the readers of newspapers that prefer to call him Dave. Both men have displayed the political and social skills to work with people far outside their personal circles.
In fact, they have displayed those skills together, face-to-face. As I report in my new book, Renegade, when Obama travelled to London last summer – in the middle of the presidential election – he sat down with both Cameron and Gordon Brown. He and his aides found Cameron more energetic and engaging than the downbeat Brown. They appreciated Cameron's skills as a candidate at the time, although they have since expressed ample appreciation for Brown's policy expertise in finance and economics.
Still, there is no substitute for building on an instant rapport with the man who now leads the free world. The alternative – an instant lack of rapport – can be hard to overcome: just ask Italian diplomats who have been forced to explain why Silvio Berlusconi sounded so unhappy with Obama's popularity in London, and joked in such poor taste about the colour of his complexion.
But beyond the personal chemistry, there is an argument that President Obama's world-view will put him at odds with a Conservative British prime minister. During much of the last 18 months, commentators in Britain have warned regularly that Barack Obama harbours some kind of inner distrust of the United Kingdom, and western Europe in general. According to this oft-repeated theory, he has apparently nurtured the colonial resentments of a Kenyan father he never knew. Some even point to Obama's first book, citing an anecdote he recounts about a snottily arrogant British schoolboy he meets on a plane.
Foreign policy experts have their own take on this: that Obama simply gravitates more to the developing world, especially Africa, and thus cares little for Britain. Surely such sentiments will spring to the surface with an Eton-educated counterpart?
These are far-fetched fears, with more than a touch of prejudice thrown in. Obama's interests and positions are uniquely American, not African. The only criticism of colonial Britain that you will hear from him – or any other US politician – relates to George III and the revolutionary war. To be sure, Obama knows and cares more about Africa than his predecessors. But the same is true of Gordon Brown.
Besides, President Obama will be much more interested in pressing Cameron on his commitment to Afghanistan. This represents by far the biggest foreign policy challenge to Obama. He needs broad international support for both the military operations he is likely to intensify, and for the political goals that will define his exit strategy. That support – in defining and executing a strategy – needs to transcend a post-Brown era, and Cameron will rapidly become a close partner of Obama, as long as they see eye-to-eye on what is achievable in Afghanistan.
Cameron can also show his effectiveness as an ally with his commitment to limiting climate change. Here, President Obama's ambitions to forge international agreement will be constrained by the size of his foreign agenda. A partner in Downing Street who can act as a credible negotiator, especially with India and China, will be invaluable in building a working partnership...