Obama not immune to criticism overseas -- by Christi Parsons
At the heart of President Barack Obama's approach to foreign policy has been a promise to end the "unilateral" strategies of his predecessor and to heal bruised relations with America's allies. But as Obama makes his presidential debut on the diplomatic stage at the G-20 summit in London this week, he faces an array of world leaders from Europe and Asia who have already rejected some of his most important proposals for rescuing the global economy. That means Obama's vision of himself as the great conciliator will face severe challenges right from the start, despite the diplomatic niceties that will surround the sessions. As Obama is discovering at home, so in foreign affairs, enormous personal popularity does not automatically turn specific policies and proposals into reality. German and French leaders have shunted aside the president's call for increased government spending to stimulate their economies. The Czech Republic's prime minister and EU President even characterized the American proposal as charting "the road to hell." Instead of more stimulus spending, European and Asian leaders want more government regulation of the financial system.
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