It is true that nowadays – particularly since both sides have converged together on the EU issue – a consensual approach seems to be emerging in various areas of our foreign policy. This applies among others to relations with various countries – from China to Libya as well as our support for the Palestinian cause.

But there was a time – particularly in the 70s – when all these subjects were anathema to the Nationalist Party.

They used to allege that the Chinese would be subjecting us to communist infiltration, that the Libyans were to be dismissed as tal-habbaziz and that support for the Palestinians was synonymous with support for

terrorism.

Then came the ultimate U-turn and the Nationalist Party suddenly changed tack in its approach to all these subjects.

It was with tongue planted firmly in cheek that I read that the Maltese government had decided to celebrate our ‘long-standing’ relations with the Chinese, glossing over all the criticism that had been levelled at this friendly and powerful country.

It was with this spirit in mind that as spokesperson of the Malta Labour Party on foreign affairs I criticised the government for not even bothering to offer the opposition a slot in its half-day conference on Sino-Maltese relations planned for Friday.

This is not the way that consensual politics can and should be forged.

Such pig-headedness contrasts sharply with the approach we adopt when we travel overseas as a Foreign and European Affairs Committee. We did so in China, Libya and the USA and repeated the same approach only recently when we toured a number of Gulf member states.

In our interventions we always go out of our way to speak with one voice, thus adding even more weight to our arguments.

Alas, the government itself seems to think differently and seems far more interesting in scoring points on the cheap.

I do not exclude that there might be a last ditch effort by the government to patch up its tactical mistake over the China conference.

But the lesson of it all is that were these people to have it their way, they would relegate us to mere observers, while they go about claiming credit for achievements attributable to previous administrations.

Will Obama help America reinvent itself?

We are still experiencing early days to be able to figure out whether Obama can make it as the Democrats’ front runner for the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton has a war chest for her campaign that takes some beating. But one has to admit that irrespective of whether one can envisage a man like Obama at the helm of the presidency of his country, when announcing his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, the man exuded a certain freshness while offering a vision that has been somewhat lacking on the political scene.

At a time when worldwide youth apathy towards politics is at its peak, the man drew on his impressive youth roots and credited young people for shaping history more often than not from the civil-rights movements to the Vietnam protests, beckoning them to take the lead in fighting against the war in Iraq.

It was indeed telling when he quoted Martin Luther King Jr – as he often does – that “the arc of the moral universe…bends towards justice.”

The man might eventually falter in his campaign and lose the necessary momentum.

One need not agree wholeheartedly with his politics. But at least for once here is a politician who more than ever before seems to believe in his own message.

It is within this context that I consider the following to be his most quotable quote so far:

“Think about all the power that is represented here in all of you… If you all grab that arc, then I have no doubt, that regardless of what happens in this presidential year and regardless of what happens in this campaign, America will transform itself...”

Obama’s youth following is indeed impressive, and the envy of most politicians – both local and foreign.

The point has been made that for a politically disillusioned generation that came of age throughout the impeachment of Bill Clinton, the 2000 election debacle, 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, Obama’s post-partisan rhetoric is profoundly appealing.

Obama’s winning card so far is that he has signalled to students that he respects their ability and power as organisers, and acknowledges what a grassroots youth movement could bring to his campaign.

It is a pity indeed that the mainstream media has already tried to portray the Obama youth movement as a pack of groupies, fawning over the latest rock star.

What struck a chord with me is that his followers have shown that they are not interested in being mere spectators.

The devil is in the detail

While welcoming the Mecca accord, I had made it clear from the very beginning that this is a fragile agreement that could easily go up in smoke (no puns intended!).

We would not have even got so far were it not for Saudi mediation and pressure.

Two issues which have not been tackled so far – at least publicly – are the question of representation of the Palestinian national movement which ever since Yasir Arafat emerged on the scene, has been clearly in the hands of Fatah while the second question is who is going to police the Palestinian territories and to what extent will Hamas’ force – the Executive Security Force – which Hamas created as an independent force – be integrated into pre-existing Palestinian security forces.

I found the American reaction interesting in the sense that although Mecca might not have been an outcome the US wanted, expected or encourages, their reaction was not entirely negative.

The fact that the accord was brokered by the Saudis might have influenced this reaction, since their involvement made it much harder to dismiss than one that would have been mediated by another Arab country.

The main reason being that this accord came at a time when the United States needs Saudi Arabia for other regional efforts and its desire to “realign the region” must have made it harder for the US to alienate Saudi Arabia.

The agreement will have also strengthened President Abbas at a time when some were already writing him off as a Palestinian Gorbachev – popular abroad and without a strong power base at home!

But nevertheless, in the coming days the devil will remain in the details of the agreement.

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Leo Brincat is opposition spokesman for Foreign Affairs and IT