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Bush
Foreign Policy “Antagonizing”, Says Former Albright Deputy
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“The Bush
administration [is] antagonizing important allies of the U.S. in
[its] go-it-alone concept of American leadership," said
Talbott.
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WASHINGTON,
May 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Former U.S. deputy
secretary of state Strobe Talbott criticized Thursday, May 23,
President George W. Bush's administration for their foreign policy
views, saying they were "antagonizing" valuable allies,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"I
am concerned that some -- repeat, some -- in the Bush administration
are antagonizing important allies of the U.S. in their go-it-alone
concept of American leadership," he said in an on-line chat on The
Washington Post's website.
Talbott
did not elaborate on his concerns, but many former U.S. officials,
including former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, as well as
serving foreign leaders and politicians, have lamented a unilateralist
streak in Bush's foreign policy, said AFP.
But
Talbott, whose comments mirrored recent similar, if harsher, remarks
by Albright, also praised Bush for adopting a non-confrontational
approach to Russia that he advocates.
Last
weekend, Albright accused the Bush foreign policy team of suffering
from "untreated bipolar disorder," saying it was sometimes
difficult for her to see cohesion in their positions.
"Because
on some important issues, the Bush foreign policy team seems to be
suffering from untreated bipolar disorder," she said Sunday, May
19.
Albright
took issue with Bush for slapping import duties on imported steel and
backing a bill that dramatically boosts agricultural subsidies.
She
was also critical of Bush's policies in the Middle East and
Afghanistan, his stance on human rights, as well as his abandonment of
the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and an accord setting up the International
Criminal Court.
"They
talk about the importance of our alliances in Europe and Asia and then
fail to employ our alliances on matters of mutual security
concern," Albright said.
Talbott,
an expert on Russia, was less severe and noted with pleasure that Bush
had decided to follow in the footsteps of previous administrations --
including that of Bill Clinton in which he and Albright worked -- in
dealing with Moscow.
"President
Bush came into office critical of Clinton's Russia policy and
indicating his own would be very different," Talbott said.
"To
his credit, [Bush] has brought his overall approach with Russia into
alignment with that of his immediate predecessor Bill Clinton -- and
[probably easily for him to do] the president before that: his own
father," he said.
Talbott
said Bush's meetings this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
during which the two will sign a historic arms reduction treaty,
demonstrated "a high degree of continuity with the policies and
the diplomacy" of the Clinton administration.
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