President Obama Breaks With Tradition. He Has No Friends Abroad.

President Obama and French President Sarkozy heard national anthems while reviewing troops in Strasbourg last year. The two are set to meet again March 30. Jason Reed/Reuters

For Obama, No Buddies Abroad -- Christian Science Monitor

Other U.S. presidents have bonded with foreign leaders, but Obama so far has no such ties. Does that matter?

When French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, sit down for dinner with the Obamas in the White House family dining room March 30, it will be a rare occasion for Barack Obama: a private, personal, perhaps even chatty evening with another world leader.

Fourteen months into the Obama presidency, one striking feature of an American president who took office to a swooning world is the absence of any strong personal ties – or even a go-to working relationship – with any other world leader.

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My Comment: When President Bush was President, I heard ad nausea from publications like the Christian Science Monitor that he was a unilateralist US President that was adopting cowboy diplomacy towarsd foreign policy with no regard to our allies .... even though he .... more than most Presidents in the past, devoted an enormous amount of time and was ultimately successful in assembling coalitions for both Iraq and Afghanistan as well as on numerous other foreign policies.

Now that we have a definite unilateralist as a President .... we are now told that this may not make a difference!?!?!?!?!

Sheeessshhh .... c'mon .... make up your mind.

What is my take .... personal relations for leaders are important during times of crisis. The entire purpose of meetings like the G8, G20, NATO and UN assemblies, etc. is to forge these relationships. Unfortunately for the US, this approach has been abdicated by this President to focus more on negotiating with foreign leaders on a one to one relationship over certain key issues.

For example .... with President Medvedev it is on nuclear arms agreements. With China it is economic and monetary issues. With Israel it is peace process. etc.

There are some benefits with such an approach, but again .... in the event of a crisis .... these same leaders will not be accommodating ....in fact .... they may just be indifferent. Why help someone who is not a friend when your interests are not at stake .... I know that I would not. But ..... if it is a friend or confident who is asking for your help .... even when your own self interests are not at stake .... to say no will be very difficult if not impossible.