McClatchy: With Iraq on fire, rest of world on hold

[babylonsister]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18240.html

With Iraq on fire, rest of world on hold
By Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef | McClatchy Newspapers


Administration's Iraq focus trumps other foreign concerns

By Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Two months ago, President Bush enthusiastically accepted an invitation to visit Singapore in September. But he abruptly changed plans, and his summit with Southeast Asian leaders is off. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is skipping an Asian meeting, too, and tossed out plans to visit Africa this week. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' mission to Latin America? Postponed.

The reason is Iraq.

As the White House struggles to show progress in the 52-month-old war, other important global issues increasingly are getting pushed to the side, according to U.S. officials, diplomats and analysts.

"The United States is very focused on Iraq and the Middle East. We know we are not a white-heat zone . . . which is good for us. But it means we are not on top of the list," said Heng Chee Chan, Singapore's ambassador to the United States.

Bush had promised to attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — which includes several longtime U.S. allies — in Singapore in September. Chen said the summit had been postponed, not canceled.

Few doubt Iraq's centrality in U.S. foreign policy. Failure there could damage America's prestige for years, if not decades, and suck Iraq's neighbors into the vortex of violence.

But the high-level U.S. attention and energy drawn away from all but a handful of other world problems is yet another cost of the Iraq war.

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[Kolesar]

1. Strobel wrote those critical stories about WMDs not existing for Knight-Ridder in 2002/2003

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[babylonsister]

2. That's one good reason I have some faith in McClatchy. nt