Obama to World: We Share Interests

During President Obama's address to the United Nations, he keyed in on a recurring theme in his foreign policy:

Like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my nation and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests. But it is my deeply held belief that in the year 2009 – more than at any point in human history – the interests of nations and peoples are shared.

This is a noble sentiment, and at the level of abstraction, probably true. But when we descend from the realm of abstraction, it falls apart. China no doubt wants to keep the nuclear club elite, but won't join in sanctioning Iran or pressuring North Korea. Pakistan doesn't want to suffer from terrorist attacks, but won't abandon the leverage provided by the Taliban. The world professes alarm at climate change, but can't translate that alarm into concrete policy decisions commensurate with the task.

It's all well and good to cooperate with other nations toward common goals. But such action has to be grounded in the reality that we're still in a competitive, zero sum international system.

(AP Photos)