Steve LeVine: The Financial Crisis Fuels U.S. Diplomatic Talks

Economic turmoil and low oil prices may have created bargaining opportunities with prickly U.S. adversaries in China, Iran, and Russia

President Barack Obama has long vowed to offer diplomatic talks to U.S. rivals and adversaries. But a month into his Presidency, Obama may be benefitting from the financial crisis and low oil prices, which


Experts do not foresee easy agreement with any of these countries; indeed, each of the three appears to be attempting to turn the financial crisis to its advantage. Yet “there are lots of grounds for optimism that Obama can use his popularity and prestige for openings that may have been created by the financial crisis,” says Michael Fullilove, a foreign policy analyst with the Brookings Institution.

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