President Obama’s Trip to Asia and Australia
By Jordan Smith at 16 March, 2010, 10:11 am
Delayed so he could make a final push for health care reform, President Obama’s trip to Indonesia and Australia will occur next week, and the itinerary has been released. President Obama will first travel to Guam on March 22, followed the next day by Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country. The Administration has made outreach to Muslims worldwide a cornerstone of its foreign policy – and the FY 2011 budget request includes $100 million in new funding for global engagement programs specifically focused on the Muslim world. On March 25, the President will host a civil society event in Bali, a destination selected because it hosts the Bali Democracy Forum and allows the President the opportunity to meet with civil society leaders. It appears international trade will be near the top of Obama’s agenda in Australia, as the President initiates the first negotiating meetings for the Trans Pacific Partnership, a U.S.-proposed trading bloc that would include Australia. This effort fits within the President’s stated goal to double U.S. exports to help create nearly 2 million U.S. jobs.
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