America re-engages the world

There has been a great deal of American foreign policy activity and initiatives over the past couple of weeks, which gives us an idea of how the Obama administration intends to engage with the international community.

President Barack Obama announced plans to withdraw American troops from Iraq by next year, dispatched two senior diplomats to Syria, made overtures to Russia, invited Iran to a conference on Afghanistan and sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East, Nato, the EU and Turkey.

The message from both Obama and Clinton has been clear - the US is committed to multilateralism, engagement and public diplomacy and intends to start afresh in many areas of policy. This seems to have struck a chord with international public opinion. For example, at the end of Clinton's press conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where she had attended a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, Egyptian journalists erupted in applause, prompting one senior State Department official to say that he had never witnessed anything like this in his 20-year career.

Obama's announcement on a troop withdrawal from Iraq within 18 months makes sense even though major security problems seem to exist. America has played its part in trying to end the insurgency and bring stability to Iraq - having made huge blunders in the aftermath of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein - and now it is up to the Iraqis to take back control of their destiny and build their country together.

The decision to invite Iran to a conference on Afghanistan signifies a regional approach to a situation that has been deteriorating and threatening to get out of hand. The US and Nato have less than a month left to put in place a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and this will no doubt include a level of co-ordination with Iran whose influence has been growing in that country.

Whether a lack of progress over Iran's nuclear ambitions will prevent Iran from playing a constructive role in Afghanistan is still to be seen. At the same time as the invitation to Iran was made, Obama hinted in an interview with The New York Times that his administration might consider reaching out to "moderate" elements within the Taliban, just as it did with Sunni militias in Iraq. This could be part of a solution in Afghanistan.

The US has also given priority - rightly so - to improving ties with Russia. Obama has given the go-ahead for Russia-Nato contacts to resume and has even put Georgia's and Ukraine's Nato application on hold. Furthermore, he wrote to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, offering to halt plans for a missile shield site in Poland and the Czech Republic - which Moscow has long regarded as a threat - in return for Russia backing international efforts to halt Iran's nuclear programme. Russian pressure might not be enough to persuade Teheran to change course but such a strategy is certainly worth a try.

The visit of two senior US diplomats to Syria can be seen as an acknowledgement by the new American administration that isolating a country that has been accused of causing trouble in Iraq and Lebanon, obstructing the Middle East peace process and forging an alliance with Iran has failed to change its behaviour; in fact it probably intensified it.

Trying to build bridges with Syria makes sense but will not be easy. How Syria deals with an Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and how it reacts to the UN tribunal on the Rashid Hariri murder - which could implicate Damascus - could complicate matters.

Clinton's visit to Brussels for talks with EU leaders certainly went down well. The US Secretary of State described Europe as "our essential partner in what we are going to do together" and praised Europe's post-1945 integration as a "miracle".

She also clarified that America's desire for better relations with Moscow did not mean that Russia would be free to interfere in the internal affairs of its neighbours.

In an attempt to fix relations with Turkey - which were damaged by the American invasion of Iraq - Clinton used her visit to Ankara to praise Turkey's role in the region, highlighting it as an example of a secular Muslim democracy. She also announced that Obama would visit Turkey in April after his trip to Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Turkey's strategic importance can never be overstated - besides being a bridge to the Muslim world, this key US ally can play a crucial role in the Middle East peace process, Iraq, Afghanistan and in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. Obama is right to acknowledge Ankara's strategic importance.

America has made a good start in re-engaging with the international community, and while many challenges lie head, the Obama administration seems to have the right approach.