“Change” is the word that has been at the top of the agenda, but seeing signs that things will be different doesn’t always measure up. Tough talk from Russia has made it clear that if the defence shield idea continues with sites close to her borders then they too will assemble a similar response. The Boston Globe reports that Obama and Medvedev have been on the phone – Obama has been doing the rounds – and agreed that both countries must work on global issues.
I think I read a statement that the “war on terror” rhetoric would be dispensed with. While Obama’s intentions on Iraq are to draw back from continued force his willingness to continue in Afghanstan and even Pakistan make it difficult to see what is changing. It seems as if the military operating there are seeking a clearer objective on what they are doing. It is intensely disappointing that Obama, like Brown, would associate himself with any bit of US foreign policy that continued to use bombs and violence. No change here.