BARACK Obama will mark a radical break in American foreign policy this week by unveiling a team of diplomats tasked with ushering in a new era of dialogue with enemies abroad.

As Hillary Clinton prepares for Senate confirmation hearings this week, she will head a group of advisers who are virtual opposites to the appointees made by President George W Bush. While Bush favoured aggressive neoconservative ideologues, Obama has selected people whose doveish credentials seem impeccable.

They will be responsible for reversing the political unilateralism of the Bush years and opening direct negotiations with hostile states, potentially ranging from Syria to Cuba and Venezuela and maybe including Iran and even the Islamic militant group Hamas, now fighting Israel in Gaza.
The Obama foreign policy team that has emerged is focused on knowledge and experience — often gained during the Clinton era. Many of the appointments have a clear focus on the Islamic world. Former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who brokered a peace deal in the Balkans, will be appointed a special adviser to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Former Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross will be a special adviser on Iran and the surrounding region, showing that Obama is keen on opening a diplomatic front in America`s dispute with Tehran. Ross has a history of personal involvement in Middle East peace talks, including numerous negotiations between Palestinians, Arab states and Israel.

Other picks are Kurt Campbell, another former Clinton official, who will be an assistant secretary of state for east Asia and the Pacific, and Philip Gordon, a former member of the National Security Council, will be assistant secretary of state for Europe. “These are people who reflect Obama`s worldview that sees the world less from a power-projecting perspective and more from looking at problems and seeing how to solve them,” said Michael Fullilove, a fellow at two independent think-tanks, the Brookings Institution in Washington and the Lowy Institute in Australia.

Obama`s choices back up his stated aims during his presidential election campaign. During the Democratic primaries, Obama said he would hold direct talks with hostile states. Despite a firestorm of criticism in the media — including from his then rival Clinton — Obama held to his position. Now Clinton will be in charge of implementing it. “He showed he would not be dictated to by the foreign policy establishment. He also showed he would stick to his guns,” said Fullilove.
The list of potential enemies for America to talk to is long. First and foremost is Iran, whose nuclear ambitions are the subject of deep suspicion in Washington and many other world capitals. Obama has held out the prospect of negotiating directly with Tehran about its programme, reversing years of open hostility from Bush`s White House. At the same time a thaw could also be likely in relations with Cuba, where a half-century-old embargo has failed to weaken the communist government but where signs of openness are beginning to show under the new rule of Raoul Castro.

Other states where diplomatic relations could improve include Syria, Venezuela and North Korea. The list could also include non-state groups such as Hamas. Last week the Guardian reported that Obama officials were open to having direct contacts with the Islamic militant group as a necessary step in trying to push forward the Middle East peace process.

But a new, softer American diplomacy is also likely to challenge countries such as Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and Iran as much as present them with an opportunity.

Another issue is that while many diplomats, especially in Europe, might breathe a sigh of relief at a new style of foreign policy in Washington, it is not likely to be entirely straightforward. The fundamental fact of America`s sole superpower status will remain in place, despite its economic troubles.

The country will remain a vocal backer of Israel, even in the face of the war in Gaza.
— The Guardian, London