AS the citizens of the United States of America brace for the presidential election next year, attention is turning to the possibility of the nation having its first female President and, in effect, what some are jokingly referring to as the "first male First Lady".

The reference is to none other than Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton who has to first contend with her Democrat rival Senator Barack Obama before she takes on the Republican candidate.

But, if the hints that she has been dropping on the way to the primary race are any indication, Hillary, if voted in, is very likely to give a major diplomatic role to her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to repair America's damaged relations with the outside world and refurbish the nation's image on the international circuit.

Indeed, former President Clinton himself acknowledged yerterday in interviews with the British media that his wife would like him to head efforts to clean the US' dented image abroad if the couple get to occupy the White House again next year.

Repairing damages a priority

Light-heartedly describing himself as the future "first laddie", Bill Clinton said that his wife had in mind asking him and others, including former Republican presidents, to tell the world that America was open for business and cooperation again.

Sources close to the Democrat party are saying that repairing the country's relations with the Muslim world would be a priority. America's relations with some Muslim countries have plunged to such low levels that a "Herculean effort would have to be made to restore the trust and confidence of the pre 9/11 period", as one commentator put it.

However, analysts are quick to point out that America will not compromise on security matters. "While the approach of the present administration is characterized by rigid suspicion and distrust of everyone, the Democrat's approach will be based on pragmatism. America would like to do business as before without compromising on security," a Democrat party member close to the Clintons, said on condition of anonymity.

Bill Clinton has himself recently said that Americans were getting increasingly worried over how the world perceived the United States "after years of unilateralism" of President Bush's administration on issues such as Iraq, climate change, nuclear non-proliferation.

The Democrats have been saying that the Bush administration had squandered away the entire reservoir of sympathy that the world offered in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Clinton said that it was necessary to cooperate with the world on major issues of concern. He cited the success achieved by this week's six-nation talks on North Korea, which has now agreed to disable its main nuclear facilities by year-end.

Help from Malaysia

Likewise, the US administration under a possible President Hillary Clinton hopes to repair relations with the world at large. This would also allow the country to rope in friends to help out in building confidence and trust in regions where it image has received a battering.

Some US pundits are suggesting that Malaysia, seen here as a moderate country with an Islamic majority and large minorities of Chinese and Indians, could help in re-defining relations with Islamic countries.

The fact that Malaysia has chaired the Non-Aligned Movement and is presently also chairing the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), two organizations with large numbers of member countries, has been noted by US experts who believe that Malaysia could certainly play the role of an "honest broker" in improving the tarnished image of the US among their members.

Malaysia's positive contribution to help stabilize the situation in and around Mindanao in southern Philippines and also in southern Thailand, both of which are fighting militancy by Muslim rebels, has not gone unnoticed.

But these questions will take concrete shape only when Hillary Clinton wins the Democrat primary race against Obama and, thereafter, the winner in the Republican's camp.

As of now, Clinton and Obama seem to be well positioned for a close finish with both managing to raise huge sums of campaign money, which is what the presidential race is all about.

- Reproduced with permission from Bernama