Lonely at the top: President
Obama fails to enlist Swedish Prime Minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt in his version of a coalition of the willing on
Syria.
As Friendly as U.S. and Sweden May Be, We Differ on Syria (Sydsvenskan, Sweden)
"Obama probably came to Stockholm with the hope of getting at
least a few Nordic countries on the bandwagon. However, on behalf of the
Swedish government, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
politely but firmly said 'no thank you.' ... 'I understand, especially the U.S.
President needs to react. ... But this small country will always say let's put
our hope into the United Nations,' Reinfeldt said."
President Obama makes his case on Syria: His congenial hosts in Stockholm offered their sympathy for America's position, but remained unwilling to agree to the use of force without U.N. approval.
Barack Obama’s
historic visit to Sweden demonstrated the convergence between Sweden and the United
States, but also some of the differences, such as on Syria.
The
agenda included relations between Sweden and the United States, and topics like
free trade, energy, and the environment, areas that for the most part, Swedish
and American interests are aligned. And when President Barack Obama and Prime Minister
Fredrik Reinfeldt met in Stockholm yesterday for the historic
first bilateral visit of a sitting American president to Sweden, these were the
topics that discussions focused on.
However,
talks also touched on what is now on top of Obama's agenda: the war in
Syria and thequestion of whether the United States should intervene.
Their
afternoon's press conference [below] began with mutual assurances from Reinfeldt and President Obama about common interests and their
consensus on free trade, energy and climate issues. But Syria soon intruded.
Since
the sarin gas attack outside Damascus that killed over 1,400 innocent civilians
a few weeks ago, both Obama and his secretary of state, John Kerry, have asserted
that the Syrian regime has gone too far, and have more or less promised
military retaliation.
The
much-discussed "red line" has been crossed. But the U.N. Security Council
is paralyzed, blocked by Russia and China, who have the back of the dictator in
Damascus. The U.S. president hoped instead to build a coalition of the willing.
This has proven more difficult than expected, particularly after the British Parliament
said no.
Obama
probably came to Stockholm with the hope of getting at least a few Nordic
countries on the bandwagon. However, on behalf of the Swedish government, Fredrik
Reinfeldt politely but firmly said "no thank
you."
Maybe
- and this is a big maybe - Obama had better success at the dinner Reinfeldt hosted that evening, after this article was
written [Sept. 5]. There, Obama had the company of the Finnish president, and
the prime ministers of Denmark, Iceland and Norway.
When
on Saturday, Obama surprisingly decided to allow Congress to vote on military
action against Syria, it was tempting to interpret it as an attempt on the part
of the president to avoid taking responsibility for a controversial decision.
Controversial abroad, but also in the U.S., the public of the war-weary nation does
not want to see new military ventures in the Middle East.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
Yesterday
in Stockholm, there was no hesitation from Obama. The president spoke with
conviction about his cause. Obama was very clear that Bashar-al-Assad's
regime was behind the gas attack, and clear that the regime must be held
accountable.
"My
credibility's not on the line. The international community's credibility is on
the line, and America and Congress' credibility is on the line, because we give
lip service to the notion that these international norms are important."
If
hundreds of children are killed in an attack with chemical weapons, weapons prohibited
under international law, then the world must react, and "not look for
reasons not to act," he concluded.
And
by "the world," Obama said, most people mean the United States.
True. Such are the expectations, and for the most part, it
is a quite a thankless task. The U.S. is both expected to act as world policeman,
and hated for it when it does.
So
determined was Obama in his opinion about why it is necessary to intervene in
Syria, that Reinfeldt was obliged to explain and
defend his position.
"I
understand, especially the U.S. President needs to react. ... But this small
country will always say let's put our hope into the United Nations," Reinfeldt said.
Reinfeldt maintained his U.N. line, at least for
now. That is good.
Even
the Swedish-American consensus has its limits.
