Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Delegations from 46 countries are in the United States this week for a summit on nuclear security, but the foreign leaders in attendance are unlikely to let their time in Washington go by without raising other concerns. Here's a look at who's coming and what's on their agenda.

Algeria

Who's coming: Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci

What they want: Counterterrorism help in North Africa. Obama's nuclear strategy hinges on keeping weapons out of the hands of terrorists -- something Algeria, where the terrorist group al Qaeda in the Maghreb is very active -- has historically been engaged in.

Argentina

Who's coming: President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

What they want: Ideally, U.S. support for Argentina's claim on the Falkland Islands. In reality, the Argentines will likely focus on following Chile's lead in drawing down their large stockpile of fissile material.

Armenia

Who's coming: President Serzh Sargsyan

What they want: U.S. backing in the Turkish-Armenian rapproachement. President Sargysan will hold a rare bilateral meeting with Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama have been attempting to reconcile bitter adversaries Turkey and Armenia, relations between which grew further complicated in March after a U.S. congressional committee decided to label the World War I-era killing of Armenians a genocide over vociferous Turkish objections.

Australia

Who's coming: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

What they want: To be a major backer of Obama's nuclear policy. Australia has made eliminating chemical and nuclear weapons a foreign-relations priority. With the U.S. health-care vote postponing Obama's trip to the region and Rudd's own health-care debate bruising him domestically, Australia might just want some Obama love.

Belgium

Who's coming: Prime Minister Yves Leterme

What they want: For Obama to stop snubbing the European Union. The Belgians take their leading role in the EU very seriously and lately, they have not been happy. In February, Obama decided not to attend a U.S.-EU summit in Madrid and this week he failed to invite a single EU representative to the signing of his new START agreement in Prague.

Brazil

Who's coming: President Lula da Silva

What they want: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Brazil wants to play a larger role on the international stage and will probably make a point by defending all countries' right to peaceful nuclear energy -- a reference to Iran's nuclear program. Lula has come out against a round of fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic, arguing that such steps would only radicalize the regime. Although Brazil denies backing Iran outright, Iranian President Ahmadinejad came to Brazilia last year and Lula plans to visit Tehran in May.

Canada

Who's coming: Prime Minister Stephen Harper

What they want: A commemorative DVD of the Olympic gold medal-hockey match. Defense arrangements between Canada and the United States are already the closest in the world. Canada's involvement will be, for the most part, symbolic.

Chile

Who's coming: President Sebastián Piñera

What they want: To get some props. Chile just delivered the last of its highly enriched uranium to the United States last month, in line with Obama's push to recover the world's unsecured nuclear material. Piñera, who was just inaugurated in March, will also meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss bilateral trade.

123456NEXT

Save big when you subscribe to FP.

GRANT

2:41 PM ET

April 10, 2010

It seems a bit simplistic.

It seems a bit simplistic. For example, I rather doubt that all Canada wants is a 'commemorative DVD'. Canada might very well discuss U.S tariffs, flow of drugs across the border, immigration policy, etc.
Italy (or at least Berlusconi) is probably hoping to draw attention off his scandal after scandal at home.
In the Middle East, non-nuclear security concerns and Iraq's situation could very well be important.

NORBOOSE

4:47 PM ET

It has to be

Would anyone read an in-depth analysis of 40 leaders, mainly from countries well out of the lime light? I liked the article, it brings up a lot of relatively minor foreign issues we in America can easily forget about. For what it is, a brief overview, I think it does a good job.

BACKSTREET BOY

3:01 PM ET

Get some knowledge

Thailand is a kingdom and Abhisit Vejjajiva is Prime Minister, not the president. Moron, get some knowledge first.

JB THE DUKE

10:43 AM ET

April 11, 2010

On Backstreet boy

Manners, please!

4:57 PM ET

Does anyone know about India's nuke-usage policy?

What is India's policy for response if non-state actors in Pakistan use Pakistani resources to attack India? I assume it is based on the scale of the attack, Pakistan's cooperation, and future threats to India. What if Pakistan tried to combat the actors, but was too weak to do so? What if Pakistan was basically blind to them? What if Pakistani elements supported them? I just realized I have no idea, and I feel like I should.

3:02 PM ET

If you mean what would happen

If you mean what would happen if a terrorist group used Pakistani nuclear material, we don't know. It's one of those questions that keeps policy makers everywhere up late at night. At the least India would probably demand that Pakistan hand over the group, secure all of its material, and probably push Pakistan on issues like Kashmir. Building up forces along the border, aiding insurgents in Baluchistan, and fighting along the border to open war is also entirely possible.
If you mean a conventional terrorist attack, probably something similar to how it's been handled in the past. Increased tensions and some sporadic fighting along the border, demands that Pakistan crack down on the group, taking a harder line with Pakistan on their issues, etc.
As for Pakistan being too weak to combat those groups, that isn't especially likely. Pakistan seems to suffer more from political weakness rather than military. As for 'what if' elements of the Pakistani government supported said terrorists? That's already happening. In the public we don't know how far ties between Pakistani intelligence and terrorist groups go, but I think it's safe to assume that if the U.S stops pressing and the civilian government is overthrown we'll see a return to the arrangements from the 90s.

4:10 PM ET

Thanks

Thank God. I was afraid I didnt know something, but thats OK because no one knows. I was using vague language and euphemisms to ward off the ideologues. Im pretty sure they just scan for buzzwords. I know that parts of Pakistan's government, particularly its intelligence communities, support certain terrorist groups, but the extent of the support seems to unknown. With the Pakistan being too weak thing, I was getting at the point that India is signifficantly more capable and powerful than Pakistan in most areas. If India thought that Pakistan was not adequetly responding to a threat to India's interests, that could be a powerful pretext for confrontation. Thanks for the answer.

RANDOMGUY1

3:30 PM ET

April 12, 2010

India has a declared no first

India has a declared no first use nuclear policy. Of course for very good reasons no state is going to lay out exact prescriptions for every scenario ahead of time. For what it is worth US and others give themselves far more leeway in their stated policy (nuclear or otherwise). You know like preemptive war ...

AARICKS

7:33 PM ET

Canada's role?

Canada is the world's LARGEST supplier of uranium, and their role is largely symbolic? Canada's vast experience with safely exporting nuclear materials by utilizing extensive bilateral safeguard agreements makes them a vital example for the rest of the world as nations seek to more effectively secure their nuclear materials.

10:41 AM ET

On the Philippines

Just to be exact with the details. 57 people were killed in pre-election violence.
great article.

RJ17

11:08 AM ET

April 16, 2010

Pres. Arroyo

Despite Arroyo's record of massive corruption and human rights violations, she still gets invited to these conferences that praises world leaders. What happened to Obama's "days of your dictatorship is over"?

ANALITIKIS

6:45 PM ET

On Algeria's participation

I would like to bring to your attention that the Algerian President Bouteflika will not be participating in the summit. He will nevertheless be represented by his Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci, this according to http://www.algerie-dz.com/article18430.html

www.twitter.com/analitikis

WMFLEE

7:55 AM ET

Heads of what...?

Interesting post, but the lead paragraph speaks of the"heads of state and foreign ministers in attendance". Um, does Foreign Policy not know that the prime ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Singapore and Spain are NOT "heads of state"? (Not to mention the chancellor of Germany and the vice president of Indonesia.) I am surprised, not to say shocked! And this on an article with three bylines! Hmmm...

DIABLOTAKAHE

3:18 AM ET

April 13, 2010

new zealand

I'm pretty sure John Key would sell the whales down the river for a free trade agreement.

if the whales must die, the whales must die.

i also thought that New Zealand's nuclear free status might be slightly relevant.

Foreign Policy Magazine

Inside National Security

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

World leaders are fast converging on Washington for Barack Obama's nuclear security summit. Here's FP's definitive guide to who they are and what they want.

BY KAYVAN FARZANEH, ANDREW SWIFT, PETER WILLIAMS | APRIL 9, 2010

(14)