Maybe Mr. George W Bush has realized that his hard line approach towards world affairs would cut no ice any more. Failure to contain Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the rapidly deteriorating situation in Iraq has led to the meltdown in his popularity and now everyone is looking forward to an American regime without Mr. Bush at the helm. The man himself seems to have comprehended that to restore pieces of his honour and pride, he needs to soften down his tone and take a more pragmatic approach towards the United Nations.
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly meets in New York where all of the burning issues of the world would be discussed and hotly debated on. Since the 9/11 attacks, the meetings have centered on terrorism and the methods to combat it and unsurprisingly, it was the US President who has been at the forefront of the discussions. But this time, other equally significant but less controversial topics will zoom into the spotlight.
Mr. Bush is expected to spark discussion on illiteracy, poverty and African development on Tuesday and would be less severe in his criticism of the UN than he has been in the past. Bush is also expected to pick up on the issue of restoring democracy in Lebanon, although, he should dig out some time to make his observation on Iraq clear, and that too in a more conciliatory and gentler tone.
Bush knows that he is losing the plot in Iraq and losing it pretty fast. The US President, so often described as a lame duck, needs to amass as much international support as he can in his endeavour to succeed in the Middle East country. That’s why he is so eager to demonstrate to the United Nations members that he has other world matters to ponder upon than Iraq. So far Mr. Bush had been overly self-assertive but he could gain relatively little. Now he is trying to be diplomatic. Let’s see what he manages with that.
Image Source: Visiting DC
Source: USA Today
