Laying Down Markers

CBS News Reporter Charles Wolfson, has covered the State Department for CBS News for over a decade.

In Asia last week, the emphasis was on North Korea, clearly the region's biggest problem. At Sophia University in Tokyo, Rice said "Let me put it plainly: North Korea should return to the Six-Party Talks immediately, if it is serious about exploring the path forward that we and the other parties have proposed." Rice was referring to the several rounds of discussions Beijing has hosted in an effort to convince Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons program.

A senior State department official explains Rice's efforts are aimed at "trying in some of the more difficult areas, to outline pathways and choices." In the case of North Korea, the U.S. clearly prefers to see it have more engagement with the rest of the world. But the marker also said Washington's patience was running out.

In early February, on her first trip as Secretary of State, Rice told Europeans, especially those who had opposed the Bush administration over its Iraq policy, that it was time to move on and look to the future. Speaking in Paris, to those who most vocally opposed Washington, Rice said "After all, history will surely judge us not by our old disagreements, but by our new achievements."

Following Mr. Bush's own trip to Europe, the administration signaled some flexibility with a nod toward European positions in their approach during negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programs.

Everywhere, Rice hammers the central principles of freedom and democracy. In Paris it was "Our charge is clear: We on the right side of freedom's divide have an obligation to help those unlucky enough to have been born on the wrong side of that divide." A few weeks later in Tokyo, it was "President Bush has defined the mission of American foreign policy as working with other nations to create a balance of power that favors freedom."

China presents a big challenge for the administration on this front. Clearly it would like China to move more quickly toward democratic reforms, especially on human rights and religious freedom issues. At the same time, Secretary Rice told reporters "we want them to use their leverage to convince Pyongyang to return to the table."

Washington can push only so far on so many issues and still expect cooperation from Chinese officials. Thus, North Korea and Taiwan were at the top of the agenda of topics discussed with the most senior leaders while human rights and religious freedom got more time with lower ranking officials.

"It's clear we want a dialogue and not a have a monologue (with other countries)," says the senior State department official. "We're trying to build on some gains made in the last four years and look for new opportunities, particularly in the Middle East."

While a lot is riding on how Iraq's transition to democracy goes, the administration has been greatly encouraged by trends toward democratization in that region. The Palestinians have a new, democratically-elected leader and there is cautious optimism for progress between Israelis and Palestinians. There are also signs of positive advances on the democracy front in Egypt, Lebanon and in Saudi Arabia.

Whether democracy will sweep the Arab and Muslim world in the next decade is very much an open question. What does seem clear, however, is the Bush administration's commitment to make the effort to push for such change. The President and his new Secretary of State are still enjoying the benefits that come from the whole world knowing they'll be around for the next four years.

Laying down the diplomatic markers is the easy part. How Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice react to moves by unpredictable leaders, in North Korea and Iran, for example, will go a long way toward determining the success or failure of their foreign policy.

By Charles M. Wolfson