US credibility as world power takes a plunge worldwide

Washington, Aug 6: American diplomats have expressed fears that the mounting roar of the White House sex scandals might have an impact on...

Washington, Aug 6: American diplomats have expressed fears that the mounting roar of the White House sex scandals might have an impact on America’s ability to carry out an effective foreign policy.

From West Asia to the Balkans to East Asia, the signs are multiplying that the erosion of the American leadership role has already begun. Some examples:The Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are at an apparent stalemate, with the Clinton administration either unable or unwilling to exert any pressure on the Israeli Government to accept an American plan already approved by the Palestinians. As one American diplomat said, the President knows that Israel has strong support in the American congress, “and he doesn’t want to antagonize any members of congress who might one day sit as his jurors if it came to impeachment.”

In the United Nations, the United States took strong stands on several issues, including opposing upgrading the status of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in the General Assembly and setting upa permanent international court of justice to deal with war crimes. In both cases, the US was defeated by embarrassingly large votes.

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Despite frequent appeals from the White House and the State Department, the Clinton administration has not been able to break lose appropriations from congress on money to replenish an International Monetary Fund (IMF) reserve fund and pay back dues for the UN.

In both cases, a watered-down anti-abortion amendment was tacked on to the appropriation bill which caused the White House to say the President would not sign the bill. One senior diplomat said, “the anti-abortion amendment was so vague it could have been ignored. But the White House needs the support of women voters to weather this domestic political storm.” It is not surprising that the French and the Russians openly question America’s leading role in dealing with the continuing crisis in the Balkans. But now, even traditional friends such as Germany are kicking sand in the face of the distracted Americanpresidency.

Despite strong American protests, the German government has moved ahead on its plans to repatriate Bosnian refugees.

The Americans say that the “dumping” of refugees at this time — just before critical elections in Bosnia — could blow up the Bosnian peace process, just at the time when it has a good chance to succeed. The German government rejected the American charge of “coercive” repatriation of the refugees and said it would continue sending the Bosnians back despite the American objections.

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The distracting effect of the continuing scandal in Washington is not the only source of the recent erosion of American global influence. It is a fact that a sometimes obdurate Republican congressional majority frequently blocks the administration plans. Then there is also an evident American sense of fatigue with incomprehensible regional crises in Africa, the former Soviet Union and Asia. The post-Cold war conflicts seem to have no end or no solution.