Bush's chilly foreign policy hearkens to Cold War

Spring break is about patriotism, sort of. It's a time to join other Americans in the party pilgrimage to places like Cancun, Puerto Rico or Ibiza. And it's a time to be grateful for amenities like clean drinking water and conveniences like English speakers. Spring break abroad can even make you proud of your country — or it can force a realization that your country is headed down the wrong path.

This past week, about a dozen Princeton students went to Cuba as part of the Princeton-in-Cuba program. There were other American students there, stopping in Cuba on spring break treks through Central or South America. Whether their interests are cultural or social, these students engage the world and take advantage of fluid boundaries and international peace, the products of continual diplomatic endeavor. Unfortunately, the current administration is not taking a cue from these students.

The Bush administration sometimes seems an anachronism in the 21st century. During my return flight from Cuba last week, I asked a German passenger if I could borrow his newspaper. The German passenger glanced at the paper and said, "It's all bad news," referring specifically to a headline that read "Bush Brings Touch of Cold War to Washington."

After discovering a Russian spy in the FBI, Bush "invited" two dozen members of the Russian diplomatic team to leave Washington. The event highlights an erroneous shift in U.S. policy toward Russia.

Bush has diminished the importance of Russia in U.S. foreign policy. While President Clinton sought to engage Russia in world affairs and harness its role as a major player in security, economic and energy issues, Bush has encouraged a digital curtain to descend over Russia. He has made it clear that Russia and the United States will be strategic adversaries and not global partners.

Bush has made a similar shift in U.S. policy toward North Korea. Kim Dae-jung, president of South Korea, told Bush that there was only a short period during which Communist North Korea would be amenable to international appeals to join the global community. If America missed this small window, it was likely that North Korea would retreat into total isolation. Bush said that engaging North Korea in the global community is not a top priority of his administration.

The Bush administration seems to have a gift for chilling relations with allies and adversaries alike. A few months ago, a statement by National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice that the United States would begin to return its troops from the former Yugoslavia led to European cries that such an act could fracture NATO. Bush has downgraded — if not deleted — US participation in efforts toward peace in the Middle East, and his commitment to Strategic Missile Defense has increased Chinese anxieties as well.

As the Bush tax cut is put before Congress, it has become clear to members of both parties that the Bush tax cut is not what America needs. In addition to cutting taxes, Bush is cutting funds for a host of education programs that target young children. Teachers at the Head Start classrooms in Hamilton, N.J., worry that their students will not get the special attention they need if Head Start classes are merged with public school classes, as Bush intends.

A recent poll recorded a 60 percent approval rating for President Bush. The follow-up question found that a large percentage of those polled credited Bush's advisors rather than Bush himself with the administration's reported success. The administration is successful, however, because the effects of its more damaging policies have not yet been felt. Indeed, they will be felt most by our children. And the implications of a misguided foreign policy are less visible when there is no crisis. But one lesson of the 20th century is that there is no reason to create adversaries when we can create partners. Bush seems to disagree.

Ever since the November election, Americans frequently have had to justify their leader's legitimacy to foreigners. But the legitimacy of the Bush presidency has become a subordinate issue to the imprudence of the Bush agenda. President Clinton built the bridge to the 21st century. Now we'll see whether Bush intends to cross it.

(Adam Frankel is from New York City. He can be reached at afrankel@princeton.edu)