JZ's pomp in Britain

This week JZ went to Britain. I think, on the whole he did better than many had expected, but should that be good enough?

I think our President is a charming man, and he's very personable and at least generally sincere. The problem, as I feared, is that he isn't taken terribly seriously by his counterparts in the International community (and we won't even dwell on the caricature that the fearsome British press reduced him to). I am concerned that our leader isn't welcomed to any conversation with the same gravitas that the former two Presidents were. This might mean less impact and in turn less likely meaningful promises, deals and trades on the diplomatic stage.

 International Relations are incredibly important for us: We may be the gateway to the African economy for a nation such as Britain, we also are assumed (largely due to our past) to possess some moral authority over our less-stable fellow African states.

We need to build on this power and not erode it. Regardless of his intentions, our President isn't able to put his best foot forward because it is so often in his mouth.

G