Obama’s current 10-day trip to Asia may well prove beneficial for the United States, but promoting American interests in the East will be no simple task.
In the United States, unemployment is still astoundingly high, but despite dismal numbers, there are signs of improvement. According to the Labor Department, 151,000 jobs were created in October, the strongest signs of growth since May.
Another promising trend shows American exports are on the rise again, while imports are on the decline. An increase in American exports means an increase in American jobs, which should help areas like Wisconsin regain their foothold in manufacturing.
Obama’s primary goal while abroad is to exacerbate these trends, opening up foreign markets and encouraging American exports, but that’s easier said than done.
In Seoul, South Korea, Obama will attempt to push the American agenda at the G-20 summit, a meeting of the world’s 20 wealthiest nations. Obama’s goal will be to help reduce trade imbalances, and to allow American exports to flow into the global economy more easily.
Initially, the administration’s suggested method of managing these trade imbalances was setting hard quotas on nations’ imports and exports. But, recognizing that getting these powerful nations to voluntarily set constraints on their own economies would be next to impossible, the administration will instead promote what they call a series of “indicative guidelines,” which leave actual incentives to change behavior quite vague.
On the international stage, without clear incentives for behavior, states act in their own interest. That’s realist politics at its base. Even if it’s in the nebulous long-term interest of a country to take action, short-term interests usually win out.
This is the reason, despite several meetings to deal with climate change and environmental protection, next to no progress has been made on issues that require international cooperation.
Economically, it might be in China’s long-term interest to stop devaluing their currency and allow U.S. exports to become more competitive, but the fact is China has seen more sustained astronomical economic growth in recent years than any other nation in the world. Their current plan seems to be working, and it would be awfully tough to convince them to change.
Nevertheless, even with all the roadblocks to international progress, all is not lost. American interests can still prevail in Asia.
Solidifying America’s relationship with India is a good start. As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, India is a burgeoning market with huge potential, and maintaining cordial relations is absolutely essential. Especially considering the volatile forces in the region like Pakistan and China, the more friends we have the better.
Our cordial relations have already paid off during Obama’s current trip, with India agreeing to purchase American aircraft exports, which will supposedly support 50,000 United States workers.
While on the whole a success, some compromises, however limited, will come out of this trip. When the President arrives back on American soil, we can assess what immediate trade policies or deals were brokered, but good diplomacy should not be ignored as a good in and of itself. The larger intangible benefits of healthy international relations may not present themselves immediately, but they will certainly manifest themselves over the years.
Joel Meyerson ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and communication arts