Can President Obama Handle the Crisis Alone?

US President Barack Obama (1961- ). Shall he rise to the occasion? God willing, he shall.

The American magazine Newsweek published an article by its former senior editor Andrew Nagorski, entitled Missions Critical. After taking a look at problems facing new US President Barack Obama, the author makes the stunning conclusion that Mr Obama may not be able to handle the current crisis alone. Mr Nagorski compares President Obama with the pilot of a huge airliner with little flying experience who, try as he might to make a soft landing, will still need help from more experienced co-pilots, foreign heads of state, who can fly their own missions. Here, mutual understanding and a mutual desire to help are of great importance. In dealing with the global financial crisis, Mr Obama and every other major political leader face a dual task, the author said. The first part concerns determining the size and scope of stimulus packages, while the second, equally-vital part, is about instilling public confidence that the proposed measures will actually produce results and allow for a soft landing.

Speaking about key foreign policy challenges, Mr Nagorski focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan. For one, he warned that European leaders are not enthusiastic about Washington’s calls to send reinforcements to NATO’s troop contingent in Afghanistan. The latest opinion polls in Europe show that most Europeans are strongly opposed to upping their involvement. The sad experience of the Afghan campaign shows that military force alone is not enough to establish a lasting peace. More than fresh troops are needed. The international community needs to pour more aid into Afghanistan and Pakistan to deal with humanitarian problems and encourage their long-term economic development, Mr Nagorski remarked.

Touching upon Iran, he said that in order to find a way for Russia and NATO to cooperate in dealing with a potential missile threat from that country, focus should be reframed to assess Iran’s real nuclear capability, both in terms of producing weapons and of delivering them. In Mr Nagorski’s opinion, there is reason to believe that Moscow wants to cooperate with the West on far more than just Afghanistan; in fact, it wishes to do so regarding a wide range of issues, including nuclear disarmament. Looking at US-Chinese relations, Mr Nagorski acknowledged some difficulties, but, said the two countries equally need each other, particularly when it comes to trade-economic issues, and need to work in tandem to address the current financial crisis.

Continuing the “pilot” metaphor, the Mr Nagorski suggested that President Obama “may already need to make some adjustments in his early flight plan”, since even the “most skilful pilot recognises that flying is always dangerous”, particularly in volatile weather. The article’s headline, Missions Critical, brings to mind a popular TV series, Mission Impossible, whose characters fight their way through the most difficult situations. Let’s hope we can manage it in real life as well.

11 February 2009

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=40341&cid=57&p=11.02.2009

MP to Work to Remove “Obstacles” to the Pope of Rome Meeting Patriarch Kirill according to Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria (1966- ), the MP Representative to the European International Institutions. He said nothing new of any substance. Why all the hoopla?

A senior Russian church official said on Friday that the Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias will work to remove “obstacles” to a meeting between its new leader and the Pope of Rome. Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria, the MP Representative to the European International Institutions, said during a Moscow-Paris TV link devoted to the Church’s policies under Patriarch Kirill, “Our objective is to organise the meeting as soon as possible”. However, he said that the problems that had made the meeting impossible under the late Patriarch Aleksei Rediger remained unsettled, including attempts by Roman Catholics to expand in the former Soviet Union at the expense of the Orthodox Church and “the difficult situation in the Ukraine”.

Relations between the Orthodox and Catholic branches of Christianity were strained in recent years as the MP accused the Vatican of stepping up efforts to convert believers in what it calls its canonical territory since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The MP also accused Uniate Catholics, loyal to the Vatican, but, using an Orthodox-style liturgy, of spreading beyond the Western Ukraine into the eastern Ukraine and Russia. Patriarch Aleksei refused to meet with then-Pope John Paul II, and said the disputes should be resolved before a historic meeting with the current Catholic Church leader, Pope Benedict XVI.

Asked to name a possible date for the long-awaited meeting, Bishop Hilarion said, “It is not a matter of time, but, a matter of the aim. We believe we should come to a common position, and, only then, organise the meeting. There is no point in holding a merely ceremonial meeting in front of the television cameras. We must prepare the meeting well”. He said if the meeting took place, it would be a breakthrough in relations between the MP and the Holy See. Bishop Hilarion said the two churches must strengthen their ties and join hands in protecting Christian values in Europe. “We need relations that will make Orthodox and Catholics allies, not rivals”.

Patriarch Kirill was installed formally as the new First Hierarch of the MP on 1 February. He replaced Patriarch Aleksei Rediger, who died in December at the age of 79. His Holiness Aleksei had led after the revival of faith in Russia following the collapse of the officially-atheist Soviet Union. The choice of Kirill, who is seen as a liberal figure in the largely-traditionalist Russian church, was welcomed by the Vatican. As the head of the MP Department of External Relations for more than a decade, Kirill engaged in dialogue with the Vatican and other churches.

13 February 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090213/120127238.html

Editor’s Note:

There is much less to this than meets the eye. Read it twice, please, and with care. You shall notice that there is nothing new revealed; there are no “breakthrough” statements. In short, it is complete and utter GIGO. Watch for shouts of glee from the usual cast of suspects (by this, I mean Asia News and Zenit), and watch the Vatican gloat over anticipation of a speedy meeting. I repeat, nothing new was said here. I believe that this “effort” is the consolation prize for Hilarion Alfeyev after his rejection as the head of the DECR. If a statement had been issued by, let’s say, Fr Vsevolod Chaplin, it would have been something to sit up and take notice of.

In any case, the Vatican is not going to rein in its Uniate attack dogs, so, it shall all lead to nought. Rome has a choice. It can support the Uniates or it can be friends with us. It is quite that simple. Nothing of import was imparted by this press release. Why was it done? Is this an official statement of the MP or is this something ginned up by Hilarion Alfeyev on his own nickel? Interesting…

BMD