Tuomioja doubts Powell's influence on White House while in office
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Finland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja (SDP) said on Monday that it is too early to draw conclusions about the impact on EU-United States relations of US Secretary of State Colin Powell's resignation.
Powell's decision, announced formally on Monday, that he would not serve a second term in the administration of President George W. Bush, sparked immediate reaction in Europe, where Powell was widely seen as a moderate and a supporter of the multilateral approach to foreign affairs.
Tuomioja has met Colin Powell on numerous occasions, both in bilateral talks and in the context of the EU and the United Nations.
"He was ready to listen , open in his actions, charming, and equipped with a good sense of humour. It is going to be difficult for any individual to achieve the same position", said Tuomioja on Monday.
For example when discussing the situation in the Middle East it was easy for the EU and Powell to come to a common agreement of purpose, but in Europe there were often doubts over whether Powell's own views would find approval within the White House, Tuomioja noted.
"As an individual, Powell enjoyed the greatest of respect, but it comes to mind that he might have been the right man in the wrong place", pondered Tuomioja.
Tapani Vaahtoranta, the director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki, believes the departure of the former general and head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is not a good omen for the transatlantic relationship.
Vaahtoranta issues the reminder that many in Europe already took the view that Bush's re-election was bad news, and they will feel that Powell's resignation is a further blow. He notes that Powell has been the closest among the Bush administration to the European thinking on how politics should be conducted.
In the wake of the U.S. elections earlier this month there has been speculation over whether Bush's policies in his second term would lean more towards cooperation and dialogue or whether the line of relying on military force - if necessary applied unilaterally - would continue to prevail.
"This latest announcement will not strengthen any hopes in that direction", said Vaahtoranta.
Other researchers nevertheless point out that it is difficult to gauge which way relations between Europe and the United States will develop before it is known how the cabinet seats in the new government are divided up.
Frazer Cameron of the Brussels-based European Policy Center said in a telephone interview on Monday that he believes Powell was alone and isolated at the State Department, as U.S. foreign policy was ultimately decided from within the White House itself.
"The Bush administration will go down in history for the Iraq War. Powell was embarrassed at having to defend the march to war on false grounds in front of the UN Security Council in February 2003", said Cameron.
He believes Powell may subsequently be remembered as the Secretary of State who urged the voice of reason and tried to restrain the White House hawks.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 16.11.2004 - TODAY |
 Tuomioja doubts Powell's influence on White House while in office |
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