Yesterday, I only just discovered a relatively new talk show, hosted by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, called Global Public Square. The program’s aims are to:

“…try to understand the new forces shaping our world, both the good and the bad. And I’ll talk to some of the world’s great thinkers and doers…”.

The first show aired June 1st, 2008 and transcripts of the shows are made available on CNN’s web site shortly after the show has finished.

Judging from yesterday’s program, the questions are good and the guests prominent personalities from the world stage. Yesterday’s subject started with four important historians: Robert Caro, Walter Isaacson, Jon Meacham and Joseph Ellis, discussing some of the qualities Obama would require to make for a great president. Among which the following were identified:

• have a non partisan foreign policy and go across the traditional left-right divide;
• be effective with congress;
• be imaginative by creating new institutions;
• be a good listener and adopt a bottom-up approach;
• exercise detachment while analysing situations;
• be honest about what he get’s right or wrong.

The historians hereby seem to recognise that a more consensual and uniting president is needed, addressing both the divide within the US and with the world at large.

The program continued with an interview of General Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Adviser, a wise and intelligent republican. While Scowcroft recognises that the Bush Administration has led to the advent of “neoconism” which advocates the use of brute froce to serve extreme idealism and has resulted in the growing unpopularity of America, he affirms that it would be a dangerous mistake to pin a timetable to the withdrawal of troops in Iraq. He further argues that, for the sake of stability in the region, Iran should be deterred from pursuing with its nuclear aspirations and priority should be given to the peace process between Israel and Palestine.