Catherine Ashton

The selection of Ashton to become the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union opened a flood of comments on her suitability for the job. Politicians and newspaper columnists were and are like teenagers in the backseat of a car asking ‘are we there yet’ all the time. Many are complaining that Ashton has not achieved much and she does not know anything about foreign policy.

It is common in business for people to move from one industry to another. Why should this be any different in politics? In business it is expected that managers are capable of learning a new job. Why would politicians be unable to do the same? And is it important for a leader such as Ashton to know all the little details of foreign policy? If she needs more details on some topic surely she can use her staff and interns to find more information on a given topic – that’s why offices have interns in the first place, to find and process information.

Even before she had started her work various commentators were saying that they have seen the signs, the dooms-day has arrived and all is lost. Generally, it was predicted that she would not succeed in anything she tried and that she would do more harm that good to the European Union.

One criticism voiced in early 2010 was that Ashton did not visit Haiti unlike U.S. secretary of State Clinton. Having top politicians on the ground in disaster areas is not necessarily a good thing unless they have special skills in disaster relief. In the first weeks of a disaster it should be sufficient if representatives of politicians visit the area and inform their employer what is happening and suggesting further steps that politicians can take to help those suffering. Then later when the situation has calmed politicians could visit the area. Lets face it, it is just an unnecessary distraction from the rescue effort when a politician comes stumbling around.

Of course, much must be expected from politicians. But in this case more time should be allowed to elapse before making any final decisions regarding Ashton’s suitability for the job. Besides she in the process of building up a new institution which is not an easy task. As Richard Gowan points out, Ashton has not experienced any political crises yet. Her reaction to a political crisis would show us what she is made of.

Richard Gowan:
http://www.globaldashboard.org/2010/05/25/why-catherine-ashton-needs-a-good-crisis/