Next president 'must reach out to world'
Tuesday, 03 Jun 2008 11:23
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The next White House administration must rejuvenate perceptions of the United States around the world, a former national security adviser has said.
Sandy Berger, who was the chief adviser to Bill Clinton on national security issues in the White House from 1997 to 2001, told a meeting in London's Chatham House last night that George Bush's leadership has encouraged "pernicious" views of the US.
He called on the next president, likely to be either John McCain or Barack Obama, to remind the world of what Americans stood for, rather than what they stood against.
"America's soft power… is today's realpolitik," he said. "[Negative world opinion] is a verdict on our current posture… we've learned that arrogant power is self-defeating."
Mr Berger said the next president must reinvest in alliances, address the "scourge of global poverty" and "get back in the game of building peace".
Climate change should also be a priority, he argued, suggesting America needs to "take a lead" on the issue because otherwise China and India will have an excuse to let the issue drift.
Mr Berger warned the issue had not featured sufficiently prominently in the campaigns so far, however. Its lack of prominence means it may be more difficult to achieve "the sacrifices we need".
The final major area of action needed by Mr Bush's successor in power, he continued, is an effort to re-engage with Russia. Nuclear disarmament should be the US' primary goal but, Mr Berger admitted, achieving this will require reversing the "zero-sum game" seen in US-Russian relations since 2001.
"The policy of disregarding Russia has not been smart – we need to engage them in a serious dialogue. We have to have a more developed relationship with Russia," he added.
Embracing these changes will lead to improved perceptions of America in the world, reversing the Bush administration's policy of allowing alliances "to weaken at the time we need our friends the most".
"We must build a world of fewer enemies and more friends," he finished. "I believe the US has reached a turning point."