A Need to Master the Tyranny of the Urgent

The number of issues awaiting President-elect Barack Obama and his administration lengthens as storm clouds of recession form worldwide. Obama and his team have stressed that quick fixes won't magically erase the many financial problems. Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state under President Clinton, would agree with the Obama camp's cautionary tone, while also stressing that "the pre-September to-do list that awaits…is still a must-do list." Diverse, complex problems such as climate change, nuclear proliferation, trade order disagreements, poverty-relief challenges, pandemics and failing states remain critical despite the urge to expend all energy on the economic crisis. Ultimately, argues Talbott, the need to focus on the links among these issues is the only way to effectively multitask by "making progress on one front in a manner that helps on others." For example, gathering worldwide collective action on economic issues could build political foundations absent from other issues such as the Doha round on trade. On the flip side, approaching these problems in isolation could create deeper problems. Globalization demands multidimensional considerations in an interdependent world. – YaleGlobal