Brown is G20’s real winner

Because renowned American economist Joseph Stiglitz and speculator George Soros said before the summit that the G20 wouldn’t produce much but later expressed satisfaction about the summit’s conclusions, the mission seems accomplished. About 10 days ago, I was in London to make contacts about the G20 at the British Foreign Ministry.

Thought it was not on my schedule, I joined British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s news conference for foreign media. The goals for the summit that he revealed at the news conference almost overlap with the official conclusions. It is not difficult to see that 80 percent of the conclusion statement was already completed before the summit. Brown’s share in that is undeniable; he began preparations months ago and started shuttle diplomacy among world capitals.

Brown’s shuttle diplomacy

Brown’s phrase, "Global solutions to global issues," was repeated during the World Economic Forum, which convened in the Swiss town of Davos, continued to make the rounds of persuasion until the day of the summit.

For instance, after the news conference, Brown spoke at the European Parliament in the union’s capital, Brussels, and then headed to South America and New York. What is behind his efforts to make the G20 summit a success?

British political experts say there are a few reasons. First of all, charismatic former Prime Minister Tony Blair still casts a shadow over Brown, who wanted to make a move in international politics by sharing the stage with the newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama. Secondly, Brown wanted to show his experience in economics as a former treasury secretary since he has failed to take bold actions in the British political arena. Thirdly, he calculated that the G20 summit will be a plus for him in the next elections. After the conclusion statement was released, Obama answered questions. He said the summit was a historic turning point and that they, as G20 countries, reached joint decisions about the global economy and the result was Brown’s success. Brown seemed to get what he wanted from the summit.

What were the impressions of Obama, who was participating for the first time since his election in an international meeting in Europe?

The French press that I scanned through the other day underlined the European satisfaction over Obama’s remarks that he wanted to participate in the summit to hear different views, understand them and reach agreement with them, not to impose the American view.

As Obama tries to "understand the world," a marked departure from former President George W. Bush, he answered questions from foreign press members rather than Americans. And that was also highlighted in the French newspapers. Likewise, American first lady Michelle Obama seems to have conquered the hearts of Europe. Unfortunately, she will not accompany her husband during a trip to Turkey in the upcoming days.

During a pep talk for school girls in London, she said: "For nothing in my life ever would have predicted that I would be standing here as the first African-American first lady. I was not raised with wealth or resources or any social standing to speak of. If you want to know the reason why I am standing here, it’s because of education," Her remarks are quite meaningful for us. I hope Mrs. Obama will someday convey the same message in Turkey.