[In
Asia , in particular, the Obama administration has
been aggressive in calling together the region’s leaders several times each
year as part of an effort to display a new commitment to the economy and security
of its allies there.]
By Michael D. Shear
 |
President Obama taking questions during the Young Southeast
Asian Leader's Initiative at
Pressphoto Agency
|
Mr.
Obama had skipped over him for a question a year ago, he said, and now he had
another chance. His question was a tough one: He called the president’s new
trade deal for the region elitist, and he wanted to hear Mr. Obama’s response.
The
president told the young man he was wrong about the Trans-Pacific Partnership
agreement: “I believe that it’s a good deal and we’ll get it done.”
It
was a rare moment of friction during more than an hour Friday in which the
president fielded mostly friendly questions from a group of young people from Malaysia Indonesia Laos Cambodia
It
was also one of the few times on Mr. Obama’s three-country trip that the
president has moved out of the formal setting of a global summit meeting and
the grim discussions about terrorism that have dominated the trip.
“I
meet with all these leaders and we take pictures and we talk about all kinds of
things,” Mr. Obama told the 500 young people gathered at a college here. But
what he really enjoys, he said, is “your energy and your idealism and your
optimism.”
Aides
to Mr. Obama say the pageantry of summit meetings can evoke an eye-rolling
response from him, given his preference for the directness of one-on-one
diplomacy, or exploring the world’s wonders in a way that only a president can.
By
the end of his 10-day trek through Turkey Philippines Malaysia
“You
are the busiest man in the world,” Tommy Vietor, the president’s former
national security spokesman, said of the president. Then he recalled the summit
tradition that requires world leaders to pose for a picture wearing clothing
that represents the host nation. “But now someone comes to you and says, ‘It’s
time to take the funny-shirt photo,’ and you have to grin and bear it.”
Having
won the presidency in part by advocating a renewed focus on global partnerships,
Mr. Obama has embraced the power of summit meetings as a central tool of his
foreign policy apparatus.
In
Asia , in particular, the Obama administration has
been aggressive in calling together the region’s leaders several times each
year as part of an effort to display a new commitment to the economy and security
of its allies there.
“We
want the United
States
“When
we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” he joked. “And when we’re there, we
can actually shape this agenda.”
But
it’s no secret that the president enjoys the more informal parts of his trips
more. Among the items that have been on his bucket list: the Roman Coliseum, the
Great Wall in China, the Petra ruins in Jordan, the Egyptian pyramids, the
Arctic glaciers.
In
2009, just six months into his presidency, Mr. Obama lamented the frequent
gatherings, saying at the end of one in L’Aquila Italy
That
was clear from the wide grin on Mr. Obama’s face throughout the town-hall-style
meeting here. The president took questions — boy, girl, boy, girl, as he tells
the audience — on subjects ranging from climate change to public accountability,
to the most influential person in his life. (His mother, he said.)
One
young man asked him to confront Najib Razak, the prime minister of Malaysia
“I’ll
do it,” Mr. Obama told the young man, “I admit I was going to do it anyway, but
now that I hear it from you, I’m definitely going to do it.”
Mr.
Najib, who has had a friendly relationship with Mr. Obama and even played golf
with him once in Hawaii
“The
United
States
Mr.
Obama had advice for the young people in the audience, some of whom were
members of the White House’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, which
has brought 55,000 young people together in the region to confront global
issues.
He
urged them to take on climate change, saying, “This has to be one of our
highest priorities.” And for those going into politics, he pressed them not to
allow racial, ethnic or religious difference to dominate the conversation.
“When
you start doing that, it’s very easy for people to start thinking that
whoever’s not part of my group is somehow less than me,” he said. “That’s how
violence happens. That’s how discrimination happens.”
One
young man he called on said that other questioners had focused on “high issues”
and that he wanted to go low.
“How
low are you going to go?” a somewhat alarmed president asked.
The
young man started off by noting Mr. Obama’s “very senior” time in life.
“That’s
pretty low,” Mr. Obama said, laughing.
“Sorry,
president,” the young man said.
