New direction of U.S. foreign policy: From confrontation to dialogue

According to the Foreign Policy-Agenda of the White House, President Obama and Vice President Biden will renew America's security and standing in the world through a new era of American leadership: "Now is the time for a new era of international cooperation that strengthens old partnerships and builds new ones to confront the common challenges of the 21st century."

As the Vice-President said in a foreign policy speech at an international conference in February in Munich. "the US vision on foreign and security policy, will make a symbolic break with the Bush years by emphasising co-operation, multilateralism, diplomacy and the need for strong partnerships."

Meanwhile there are indications that the Obama-administration is making  efforts to improve relations and reopen dialogue with Syria, Iran and North Korea, and is perhaps even reaching out to parts of the Taliban.

It seems as if the world's media will have to cover a lot of change initiated by the new American presidency. This change will also effect directly the agenda of conflict prevention, peace-keeping and the dialogue for a more peaceful world.

This Panel will target the changes of the American policy and its effects on the media-agenda and the efforts of conflict prevention.

Hosted by Deutsche Welle Washington 

Participants:

Jan-Friedrich Kallmorgen, Co-publisher of www.atlantic-community.org
Steven Craig Clemons, Publisher of the political blog "The Washington Note" and Director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation
Robert Ward, Director of the global forecasting team, The Economist Intelligence Unit

Host:

Rüdiger Lentz, Bureau Chief of Deutsche Welle in Washington

Wednesday, 3 June 2009, 2:30 p.m., Plenary Chamber