Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall about how the G20 summit highlighted dynamics among the nations represented in London.
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BRIDGET KENDALL: If you think back to the end of the Second World War, a lot of people have been talking about Bretton Woods; I'll bet they didn't know that what they were doing was going to be completely historic.
LISA MULLINS: The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall covered the G-20 summit in London.
KENDALL: I wouldn't exclude the possibility that in months, possibly years to come, people look back and say, "That moment in London was when we began to do things a different way." But it's a bit too early to tell.
MULLINS: Now, how would we being doing things in a different way? I mean, you compared it to Bretton Woods up in New Hampshire. You're saying when these things happen you don't always know that they're going to be a mark in history. What did you see at the G20 that would even suggest that this might be a historic one?
KENDALL: I've been very intrigued by the idea that this is the beginning of a new global grouping. We have the UN Security Council which emerged with the United Nations at the end of the Second World War. We had the IMF and the World Bank very dominated by the United States and European money and manpower. But here you have, around a table, leaders from other countries. We all know that China and India, Latin America, and the developing world are going to be much more important to the world economy. And the big question is, will they be given a seat at the top table? Now, these things don't happen overnight, and it's been quite interesting, here in London. Although, there's been so much criticism around the world about too much American Leadership under George W. Bush, there has still been, I think, a big sense here in London, partly because he's a new president, but everyone has been looking to Barack Obama. He's the man that everyone wants to have a word with. He's the one they almost defer to. And so it does feel as though, because of his stature at the moment, there is still a sense of American leadership. But this new grouping, G20, does offer the possibility of it turning into a different place. You know, this is partly about who sits next to who and how the meeting works. And I had a funny feeling when you're watching Gordon Brown just opening the first meeting, and, you know, it's a very big table because there are more than 20 leaders. Everyone had their tags so it was almost like it was some big bible study. He was saying, "Now, let's go to paragraph whatever it is and we're going to look at this paragraph and if anyone's got anything to say, well, let me know but you mustn't speak for too long and I'm going to call on so-and-so first.â€
MULLINS: Bridget, when you talk about Barack Obama being enormously popular there, when he comes in and you say he, kind of, amplifies this sense of American leadership was he able to deliver? I mean, this is his first foray abroad. This is a relatively new body without a real structure; without even a secretariat. How much was he able to meet the expectations and deliver on that kind of leadership that people look to him for?
KENDALL: Well, the meeting is being run by Gordon Brown. So, in the, kind of, straight-jacketed format of the round the table sessions that they've had today at G20 maybe what the American president can do is limited. But, of course, that's not all he's been doing here. He's been having other bi-lateral meetings. And I must say that, certainly here in London, people I've spoken to were enormously impressed by his ability to be both quite jokey and casual and accessible, but also very thoughtful and almost visionary. There's a feeling there's an enormous amount of potential in this American president and they're prepared to go with him. You know, I'm not saying that this will stay this way, but that's the view at the moment.
MULLLINS: Interesting to note, as well, that there were things happening, not quite behind the scenes, but they had little to do with the economy and rescuing and proposing some global solutions to what's happening right now. These were diplomatic overtures which were a bit in the shadow of the other discussions.
KENDALL: Yes, that's right. The first face to face meetings between President Obama and the Russian President, President Medvedev, and the Chinese President, President Hu. And these, of course, big meetings. There's been quite a lot of focus here in London on that meeting with Russia because there'd been an exchange of letters between the two leaders. We all know, just look less than a year ago, the United States and Russia looked as though they were poised to enter into a new Cold War freeze over the whole business of what happened in Georgia, and Russia's complaints about what NATO has done in what it sees at its own back yard. And, so, everyone was, I think, anticipating that the meeting would go well yesterday, and it did. And they've said they're going to talk about new nuclear arms cuts. And it is all part of the Obama factor, the sense that there's something new happening and maybe it's more steps but it may lead somewhere further. I should say, I mean, it does occur to me that if you look back to when George W. Bush first met President Putin there were exactly the same expectations, and they, too, began what seemed to be warm relations with talks about arms control, and look where that ended up.
LISA MULLINS: Alright, speaking with us from London, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall. Thank you.
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