The single most powerful example of U.S. foreign policy in physical form is an overseas visit from the President of the United States. No matter where he (or someday she) goes, that massive baby-blue Air Force One, the stately stream of shiny, black limos and SUVs, the closed streets, the locked down hotels and restaurants, and the anti-sniper gunmen on every roof scream power. As Arthur Miller wrote, "Attention must be paid."
This week, the traveling White House road show along with all the equipment and staff needed to support a Commander-in-Chief in transit is heading for Asia. President Bush and an American delegation said to number 1000 leaves Wednesday for Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
The heart of the trip is the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum set for Hanoi, Vietnam. In addition, President Bush will hold bilateral talks with several heads-of-state from the region. One major event on the schedule is the finalizing of a deal allowing Russia to join the World Trade Organization.
The Schedule
- November 14 - The president and his delegation leave Washington.
- November 15 - Air Force One will stop to refuel in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin will come to the airport for a brief meeting with President Bush.
- November 16 - The president visits Singapore. Among other stops, President Bush will give a speech at the National University of Singapore.
- November 17 - The president flies to Hanoi, Vietnam. He will have meeting with the Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, and will attend a state banquet with the president and prime minister of Vietnam.
- November 18 - The president will meet with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun to discuss the six-party talks on North Korea and later with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN). He will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and start the formal APEC meetings. He will also meet with the official group searching for the remains of missing American military personnel from the Vietnam War era.
- November 19 - The APEC sessions continue. The president meets with President Hu Jintao of China and then again with Russian President Putin.
- November 20 - The president tours Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). He then travels to Indonesia for meetings with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. That night the president and his delegation depart for Honolulu, Hawaii.
- November 21 - The president visits with troops in the U.S. Pacific Command before flying back to the White House.
More Background and Resources
- Background on the trip, from Newsblaze
- Press briefing by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on the president's trip, from the White House
- Description of preparations in Hanoi, from TMCNet and Saigon Times.
- Background on policy discussions including regional stability and free trade, from the Stanley Foundation (full disclosure: I work for the foundation.)
