Following up on my post last week about unrest in Zimbabwe while Mayor Tom Potter's three-person delegation was visiting the troubled country, I'm pleased to report that the team returned safely to Portland on Tuesday night after 13 days abroad.
In sending the team, which included his wife, Karin Hansen, Potter concluded that providing humanitarian aid and shaking hands in Zimbabwe did not amount to tacit support for Robert Mugabe's regime. Potter himself pulled out of the trip at the last minute, citing concerns about the financial crisis at home.
Mayor-elect Sam Adams says he plans on being even more engaged than Potter in foreign affairs, with the goal of boosting international trade. But in case you missed this excellent New York Times story Sunday, the mayor of Moscow practices an aggressive foreign policy (including millions in financial assistance to breakaway Russian factions abroad) that tops anything Portland is likely to undertake.
And that's probably a good thing, right?
—James Pitkin
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