Condoleezza Rice’s First Visit to Europe (February 3 – 10, 2005)

The following is a summary of U.S. and international news and analysis about U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent state visit to Europe. Countries visited included: London, Berlin, Warsaw, Ankara, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Rome, Vatican City, Paris, Brussels, and Luxembourg City.

Old Europe’ Enjoys The Sweet Talk But Awaits Proof Of Us Intentions
(Catherine Field, Paris, The New Zealand Herald, 14 February 2005)
A European trip by US President Bush’s major advisors Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld gave hope to Europe that trans-Atlantic relations may be on the mend. However, Europeans are wary, wondering if the US’s actions will match Rice’s diplomatic words.

Rice ‘The Rock Star’ Steals Hearts in America with Jetset Diplomacy
(Alex Massie, Scotland On Sunday, UK, February 13, 2005)
Condoleezza Rice’s predecessor Colin Powell made little secret of his dislike for traveling, preferring to conduct telephone diplomacy. That reluctance to sell American policy abroad in person became a favorite argument against Powell by his enemies. “Secretary Rice believes public diplomacy should be a conversation, not a monologue,” said one senior aide, indicating that the US will spend more time and effort on public diplomacy now than it has in the past.

Condoleezza Passes Muster – For Now
(Editorial - The Nation, Thailand, February 12, 2005)
Condoleezza Rice’s diplomatic panache took Europe by storm on her first trip abroad as the new US secretary of state. European media reports were favorable, but Asia could be a different matter, as China and democracy remain touchy issues.

Rice’s Tour: Your Turn, Europe
(Reginald Dale, International Herald Tribune, February 12, 2005)
All European eyes this week have been glued on the peripatetic Condoleezza Rice as she issued her plea for a “new chapter” in trans-Atlantic relations after two years of acrimony and misunderstanding. If, however, the Europeans think they do not need to do anything to respond to Bush’s conciliatory efforts, then the rebirth of the alliance will be stillborn.

Rice’s Whirlwind Tour Succeeds In Thawing Ice
(Tyler Marshall, The Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2005)
At every stop of her European tour, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered the same message – overcoming our differences and working together on the goal of freedom. The official response to her visit was positive from all countries, even those most opposed to the conflict in Iraq. Yet behind all the warm words, there was no movement on the difficult issues that originally drove the U.S. and most of Europe apart.

Rice On Tour: “Look, This Is America!”
(Rich Lowry, National Review, February 11, 2005)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s just-concluded trip to Europe signals that the United States is back in the diplomacy business in earnest again. Part of the reason is that after four years of Colin Powell, the United States now has a secretary of State in full.

Friendship—And Business – Editorial
(Chicago Tribune, February 11, 2005)
In case after case, grudges and jealousies have divided Old Europe (although not, generally, the newer democracies of Eastern Europe) and America. Chere Condi and her admirers on the continent need to turn friendship into business. With Iran in particular, the stakes are too high, the risks of rogues bearing nukes too lethal.

Rice Pudding: Playing Sweet Isn’t Very Appetizing
(Denis Boyles, National Review, February 11, 2005)
Everyone there loved the soft language and the nervous smile of the new U.S. secretary of State. But the problem with the Rice visit, a preamble to Bush’s potential mortification at EU headquarters in Brussels later this month, is that it’s predicated on a goal that will yield nothing at all of benefit for the U.S.—unless you think it’s a diplomatic coup to get NATO to send a few troops to western Afghanistan or to get the alliance maybe to live up to its agreement to train some Iraqi cops. Instead, the Rice line embraces the premise of an argument that the U.S. cannot possibly win because the premise—that the policies of the Americans government are wrong—is one set by those opposed to American policies. The vehemence of anti-Americanism in Europe could not be reversed if Bush ran naked through the streets of Brussels and apologized for being born—always a possibility—when he makes his appearance at EU headquarters.

CONDI’S TOUGH TALK: TRUTH TO EUROPE – LETTERS TO THE EDITOR(NEW YORK POST, FEBRUARY 11, 2005)

THE FRENCH ARE CHARMED AND JARRED BY ‘CHERE CONDI’ – ELAINE SCIOLINO (THE NEW YORK TIMES, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Condoleezza Rice spoke before a sophisticated French audience on Tuesday afternoon and rewrote cold war history. Rice commented on the civil wars fought in Greece and Turkey. Greece did find itself in a civil war, but Turkey did not. According to the New York Times, Rice “charmed her hosts with her gushing praise for France but alarmed them with her ideological zeal - which included branding Iran a totalitarian state.”

FRENCH KISSES AS ‘CONDI’ HEALS RIFT – EMMA-KATE SYMONS, PARIS
(THE AUSTRALIAN, AUSTRALUA, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): The US and France set aside almost three years of strained relations over Iraq yesterday when Condoleezza Rice swept in to Paris on an official mission to kiss and make up with the Bush administration’s harshest European critic.

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT CONDOLEEZZA RICE IN PARIS – WILLIAM CEDERWELL
(THE GUARDIAN, UK, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Condoleezza Rice chose to make her keynote address in Paris, but it was not a sentimental speech. Rice came to assure the French that America was not going to change its politics, but is interested in getting its allies back. Many in France thought the gesture was long overdue. Globally, the hope is that Ms. Rice’s speech will be a turning point for French and American relations.

EUROPE AFTER RICE: CAN REAL CHANCE BE EXPECTED?
(DEUTCHE WELLE, GERMANY, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Condoleezza Rice flies out of Europe on Thursday evening after what can be seen as a successful tour. But with Bush on the horizon, can Europeans expect a real change in transatlantic relations

‘NEW CHAPTER’ FOR TRANS-ATLANTIC TIES – JOHN LEICESTER
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her French counterpart seemed to be thinking the same thing, stressing the importance of a new, fresh relationship between the U.S. and France. However, in reality, we are still missing the glue necessary to bind the United States and Europe to work together. Different ideas on the methods of foreign affairs may actually drive them even more apart.

RICE WOWS EUROPE – BUT CHARM OFFENSICE CAN’T HIDE HARD LINE – SIMON TISDELL
(THE GUARDIAN, UK, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): After many months of strained relations between the United States and Europe, Condoleezza Rice finally succeeded with mending some trans-Atlantic relations. Simon Tisdall of the Guardian calls her “the Bette Davis of diplomacy.” But European diplomats warn: Bush will have to change. Europe will not just adapt their agenda to fit Bush’s.

CONDI’S CHARM OFFENSIVE
(THE ECONOMIST, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Condoleezza Rice’s European visit has thus been great for symbolism. Rice dropped in to deliver her major speech in Paris, chosen because of the intensity of past disagreements between France and the United States. Yet behind her charming, diplomatic words, major differences remain between the United States and France.

RICE’S EFFORT TO MEND FENCES – GRAHAM BOWLEY
(INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes her first trip aboard. On the surface, her diplomacy efforts look successful, as she helped oversee a new Middle East peace process, and charmed Europeans with her words. She spoke of a “common agenda” and seemed to sincerely mean it. Europeans were especially optimistic after Rice’s consideration of a new China policy, following an EU proposal to regulate arms and technology transfers to China.

CONDI’S FRENCH TWIST – MAUREEN DOWD, OPINION
(THE NEW YORK TIMES, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Dowd reports that Rice warmly greeted the French, but refused to take any questions that had not been vetted in advance by the State Department. As usual, the Bush Administration prefers to write its own script.

CONDOLEEZZA AND DEMOCRACY, FIVE WAYS OF REFLECTION – JUSTIN VAISSE, OPINION(French language version)
(LE MONDE, FRANCE, FEBRUARY 10, 2005): Condoleezza Rice spoke to the strong connections between the United States and France in the issues of freedom and democracy. And despite differences between the countries, our enemies are the same. But like George Bush’s inaugural speech, Rice’s speech did not address realities in American foreign policy.

PHILIP STEPHENS: A TEST OF RICE’S SOFT WORDS - PHILIP STEPHENS
(FINANCIAL TIMES, FEBRUARY 10): What will she tell the president? As Condoleezza Rice left for home on Thursday after a seven-day dash through Europe and the Middle East, the reviews of the US secretary of state’s first foray into international diplomacy were as positive as she could have dared hope. This was a trip everyone—yes, even the French—had wanted to work. It did. Yet Ms. Rice’s pledge of a new chapter in transatlantic relations left a question. She had heard what her hosts had to say. How much had she absorbed?
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RICE DAZZLES EUROPE – HELLE DALE, OPINION
(THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, FEBUARY 10, 2005): In her visit to Europe, Condoleezza Rice presented both style and substance to her European audiences. Many are heralding the visit a great success.

RICE’S EU CHARM OFFENSIVE: CAN SHE HELP MAKE BUSH THE AGGRESSOR INTO BUSH THE PEACEMAKER? - TIMOTHY GARTON ASH
(LOS ANGELES TIMES, FEBRUARY 10): The president whom Rice serves so faithfully, George W. Bush, has long been inspired by the example of Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan, he wants his first term, in which he was demonized as a warmonger by many Europeans, to be followed by a second term in which he writes himself into the history books as peacemaker and freedom-spreader.

RICE’S FIRST GAMBIT: FIX FRAYED TIED TO EUROPE – PETER FORD
(THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, FEBRUARY 9, 2005): Rice urged her European counterparts to put aside old differences. “It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship and a new chapter in our alliance,” she said.

RICE SETS OUT ON DIFFERENT PATH FROM POWELL’S - ANDREA STONE
(USA TODAY, FEBRUARY 9): Rice, who at 50 is nearly a generation younger than Powell, 67, signaled early in her inaugural trip that she planned a different approach. Her motorcade meandered through London and Ankara, Turkey. Every day, she did television interviews. She met for roundtables with opinion leaders in Britain, Germany and France. “Secretary Rice believes public diplomacy should be a conversation, not a monologue,” senior aide James Wilkinson said.

FRENCH SIZE UP RICE – JODY K. BIEHL
(DER SPIEGEL, GERMANY, FEBRUARY 9, 2005): After her recent trip to France, French newspapers and crediting Condoleezza Rice with showing herself as a true diplomat, but are also tearing her apart, saying that two years of antagonizing the French cannot be undone with one diplomatic visit. In 2003, Rice noted “Forget France, ignore Germany, forgive Russia,” but in 2005, the French are not quite as ready to forget Rice’s comment.

RICE REACHES OUT TO EUROPE
(THE FINANCIAL TIMES, UK, FEBRUARY 9, 2005): Nixon went to China, Condoleezza Rice went to Paris. The US Secretary of State used her visit to proclaim the Bush administration’s desire to move on from the dispute over Iraq and begin a new chapter in the European/American relationship. However, it should be noted that this is an invitation to join a U.S. agenda that George Bush has already set. While both sides agree on the importance of democracy, there are serious differences about the way to go about achieving it.

CONDI IN PARIS – REVIEW & OUTLOOK
(WALL STREET JOURNAL, FEBRUARY 9): Rice’s speech in Paris lived up to advance billing as a major policy address. The choice of the elite Sciences Po, a training ground for French diplomats no less, sent a message that the second Bush Administration won’t shy away from engaging its fiercest critics. Public diplomacy played a large part in sparking the rift with “Old Europe” over Iraq. The new U.S. approach looks to manage European sensibilities better. We’ll see if past disagreements were superficial or, in fact, exposed an existing gap in fundamental values. Ms. Rice played to her audience, including, in the front row, Valery Giscard d’Estaing and Alain Juppé, former French president and prime minister, respectively. “In our time we have a historic opportunity to shape a global balance of power that favors freedom—and that will therefore deepen and extend the peace,” she said. “And I use the word ‘power’ broadly, because even more important than military and indeed economic power is the power of ideas, the power of compassion, and the power of hope.” Fair enough in Europe, the home of “soft power.”
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EUROPE APPRECIATES VISIT BY RICE: BUT PUNDITS SAY NEW US SECRETARY OF STATE HAS ONLY SET A TONE, NOT A DIRECTION, FOR REBUILDING RELATIONS - JIM BENCIVENGA
(CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, FEBRUARY 9, 2005)

MADAME CONDOLEEZZA RICE PLAYS MS. RECONCILIATION (French language version)
(LIBERATION, FRANCE, FEBRUARY 8, 2005): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday delivered a speech in Paris in which she sought to improve the dialogue with “Old Europe” and regain relations with the France. She stressed the common Bush Administration themes of freedom, advocating for the peace process in the Middle East, and supporting democratic government.

THE COWS COME HOME: SUDDENLY FRANCE AND GERMANY SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ – BRENDAN MINITER, OPINION
(THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FEBRUARY 8, 2005): It turns out that one of the chief architects of President Bush’s “unilateral” policy is also a good diplomat. Ms. Rice won applause in every European country she visited.

RICE LECTURES RUSSIA ON FREEDOM – NICHOLAS ROTHWELL
(THE AUSTRALIAN, AUSTRALIA, FEBRUARY 7, 2005): In her first European tour as Secretary of State and representative of the Bush administration, Condoleezza Rice outlined US priorities to an audience in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. At a dinner with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Rice stressed US “concerns” about developments in Russia and stressed that Russia needs to pay close attention to its own democratic processes.

RICE CALLS ON ISRAEL TO HELP, NOT HINDER, ABBAS – HERB KEINON
(JERUSALEM POST, ISRAEL, FEBRUARY 7, 2005): Condoleezza Rice calls on Israel to help Abbas to establish his authority and legitimacy. According to diplomatic officials, Rice said that Abbas needed to have tangible results to take to his people.
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ISRAEL BRACES FOR RICE’S VISIT – ALUF BENN, ANALYSIS
(HAARETZ, ISRAEL, FEBRUARY 6, 2005): Rumors that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was planning a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority abounded during her inaugural trip abroad. But whispers by government officials signed that Israel is not happy with the visit.

RICE URGED ISRAEL TO AVOID UNILATERAL STEPS ON JERUSALEM
(HAARETZ, ISRAEL, FEBRUARY 6, 2005): Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and President Moshe Katsav, and urged them avoid taking any unilateral steps on the Jerusalem which could harm Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas. Rice said the recent disengagement plan is a historic opportunity, and will work only if the two states work together.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE BRINGS MORALITY TO REALPOLITIK – OPINION
(THE TELEGRAPH, UK, FEBRUARY 5, 2005): Britons are astonished that sound American foreign policy may be back on the way, and the credit belongs to Condoleezza Rice. The conventional wisdom, after all, is that America is ruthless in advancing its interests. The Telegraph finds that America’s diplomacy might be back on the right track.

RICE SEEKS ‘NEW CHAPTER’ IN U.S.-GERMAN RELATIONS
(DIE WELT, GERMANY, FEBRUARY 4, 2005): Germany and the U.S. will open a “new chapter” in their relations, said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after arriving in Berlin. Rice is on her way through Europe, trying to mend relations with America’s traditional allies.

VERY UNDIPLOMATIC START FOR CONDOLEEZZA RICE – MOHAMED (Arabic language version)
(CHAPRESS, SYRIA): New U.S. Secretary of State got off to a poor start in the Middle East with her decision to avoid both Lebanon and Syria from her European diplomatic visit. The author asks: how can America expect to deal with Syria and Lebanon when it refuses to include both nations in diplomatic visits and negotiations.

SHARING A LANGUAGE CAN HELP DIPLOMACY – BARRY SCHWEID
(ASSOCIATED PRESS, AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, FEBRUARY 1, 2005): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice charmed the French in Paris this week with a jaunty reference to their national motto, “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite,” and a few other French phrases. The French simply adore their language and VIPs speaking it, even in Rice’s distinctively American accent. Rice is fluent in Russian, but not in French, State Department officials said afterward. She apparently understands the language but speaks it with some difficulty.

CONDOLEEZA: CHANGING THE IMAGE – OPINION
(PERIODICO 26, CUBA):During her first trip abroad as United States Secretary of State, Rice drummed up much publicity abroad, and worked to change her well-earned, hard line hawk image. Rice instead presented herself as a diplomat committed to peace and strong relations with Europe.