President Obama concludes his European trip today after visiting four nations over the course of six days: Ireland, Britain, France, and Poland.
In Ireland, he drank a beer at the birthplace of his maternal great-great-great-grandfather and in England he became the first United States President to speak in front of British Parliament.
The Washington Post reporters:
His achievement, though, is difficult to measure. How his public diplomacy will translate into policy that strengthens his hand in Afghanistan, Libya and the broader Middle East remains unclear.
But at the G-8 summit in Deauville, France, Obama did reap the benefits of his effort to “reset” relations with Russia, securing from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev a pledge to help push Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi from office.
The final stop on the European trip, Poland, was where Obama discussed the nation’s security and relations with Russia.
“One of the important roles that Poland can play is not just as a promoter of ideas but as a living example of what is possible when countries take reform seriously,” he said at the news conference.
