The United States' third largest city has put on its best face and President Barack Obama is doing the same as world leaders descend on his hometown of Chicago for a Nato summit. But as Obama hosts a double summit - with the Group of Eight at Camp David and Nato in Chicago - he is hoping for a positive impression, not just for the city but for his image at home.
The Nato summit beginning Sunday and the G8 ending Saturday provide a rare focus on foreign policy as Obama puts most of his attention on a reelection bid dominated by economic concerns.
Opinion polls show Obama with strong approval ratings on his handling of foreign policy, with the killing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
A recent Politico poll showed 53 per cent of those surveyed approve of Obama's handling of foreign policy, and more than half think he would do a better job that Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Matthew Goodman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington noted this week that though the election plays into everything Obama does this year, the president is unlikely to cater the summits toward his reelection bid.
Still Obama can use the meetings to point to gains. The Nato summit will put attention on Afghanistan policy that will see Obama end unpopular combat operations in 2014, and the G8 provided a chance for him to reiterate how far the world has come economically since he took office.
Obama used remarks after the G8 summit wrapped up to point to growth and jobs, a top priority for all the leaders, but also for Obama's reelection prospects.
"Put simply, if a company is forced to cut back in Paris or Madrid, that might mean less business for manufacturers in Pittsburgh or Milwaukee," he said.
Romney has often criticised Obama for his policies being similar to social democracies in Europe, and a photo opportunity next to new socialist French President Francois Hollande might fuel those flames.
But Romney also hopes to score a different kind of political point with the Nato summit. Republicans have traditionally been seen as the stronger party on defence, and the candidate on Friday took Obama to task for weakening Nato.
"Unfortunately, the Obama administration has taken actions that will only undermine the alliance. The US military is facing nearly 1 trillion dollars in cuts over the next 10 years. And President Obama has sent the message - intentionally or not - that the worth of Nato has diminished in America's eyes."
But the attention on the global situation will likely be short-lived a campaign where attention remains largely on issues close to home.
Obama's weekly radio address Saturday made no mention of his hobnobbing with world leaders. Instead he used the opportunity to critique the Congress.
And as soon as the summit ends, Obama will head for an entirely different stage as he delivers a graduation address to high school students in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri.
Comments
Comments are closed.