Passport

Palin takes Manhattan

Getty Images Call it foreign-affairs speed dating: In a meet-and-greet whirlwind set to last no longer than 30 hours, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin is in the midst of her “coming out” to foreign-policy society at the United Nations General Assembly. The introductions began last night with a cocktail party thrown by none other than Pres. ...

592423_080923_palin5.jpg
592423_080923_palin5.jpg
NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Gov. Sarah Palin emerges from a midtown Manhattan hotel en route to meeting with international leaders September 23, 2008 in New York. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Call it foreign-affairs speed dating: In a meet-and-greet whirlwind set to last no longer than 30 hours, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin is in the midst of her "coming out" to foreign-policy society at the United Nations General Assembly.

The introductions began last night with a cocktail party thrown by none other than Pres. George W. Bush at Manhattan's famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Among those she's met or is scheduled to meet are Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai, Iraqi Pres. Jalal Talabani, Colombian Pres. Álvaro Uribe, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and U2's rockstar-turned-activist, Bono.

Getty Images

Call it foreign-affairs speed dating: In a meet-and-greet whirlwind set to last no longer than 30 hours, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin is in the midst of her “coming out” to foreign-policy society at the United Nations General Assembly.

The introductions began last night with a cocktail party thrown by none other than Pres. George W. Bush at Manhattan’s famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Among those she’s met or is scheduled to meet are Afghan Pres. Hamid Karzai, Iraqi Pres. Jalal Talabani, Colombian Pres. Álvaro Uribe, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and U2’s rockstar-turned-activist, Bono.

These fleeting encounters have the potential to backfire, but there might be more to glean from Palin’s “must meet” list than from any gaffes. James Bone of the Times, for instance, points out that her meetings with Georgian Pres. Mikheil Saakashvili and Ukrainian Pres. Victor Yushchenko are “a gesture towards a revanchist Russia,” and notes that nowhere on her agenda was there a representative of Britain. So, while this dance may be fleeting — those looking for clues about Palin’s diplomatic capabilities and the McCain camp’s foreign-policy intentions should pay close attention.

Tag: United Nations

Trending

  1. 1
    Green Energy’s Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources
  2. 2
    Why Does Israel Keep Assassinating Iranian Officials? Because It Works.
  3. 3
    As Security Threats Mount, Japan and South Korea Begin (Carefully) Mending Fences
  4. 4
    From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
Latest Analysis

Why Does Israel Keep Assassinating Iranian Officials? Because It Works.
Danielle Pletka

Why Americans Still Need NATO
Kathleen J. McInnis

China Owned My Mother’s Womb. Texas Owns Mine.
Tracy Wen Liu

More from Foreign Policy

A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.
A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.

Why Do People Hate Realism So Much?

The school of thought doesn’t explain everything—but its proponents foresaw the potential for conflict over Ukraine long before it erupted.

Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.
Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.

China’s Crisis of Confidence

What if, instead of being a competitor, China can no longer afford to compete at all?

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.

Why This Global Economic Crisis Is Different

This is the first time since World War II that there may be no cooperative way out.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.

China Is Hardening Itself for Economic War

Beijing is trying to close economic vulnerabilities out of fear of U.S. containment.

Trending

  1. Green Energy’s Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources
    Analysis |
    Cobus van Staden

  2. Why Does Israel Keep Assassinating Iranian Officials? Because It Works.
    Argument |
    Danielle Pletka

  3. As Security Threats Mount, Japan and South Korea Begin (Carefully) Mending Fences
    Dispatch |
    Robbie Gramer

  4. From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
    Analysis |
    Volodymyr Yermolenko
Latest

Putin’s Invasion Has Turbocharged NATO Defense Spending

Is Pinkwashing the Future of Post-Roe America?

As Security Threats Mount, Japan and South Korea Begin (Carefully) Mending Fences

The Philippines Has a Marcos in Charge Once More

Green Energy’s Dirty Secret: Its Hunger for African Resources
See All Stories