>>> WATCH OUT FOR THE SICKCICADA
IT JUST GOT ME.
>> THE PRESIDENT COMMENTING ON
THE CICADAS, EARLIER WE TOLD YOU
THAT THE PLANE FOR THE PRESS
CORPS WAS ACTUALLY DELAYED FOR
HOURS BECAUSE OF THE INSECTS.
THESE GROSS, MASSIVE BUGS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE FIRST
LADY ARE EN ROUTE TO THE UK NOW.
ITS THE PRESIDENTS FIRST TRIP
ABROAD.
HELL MEET WITH BRITISH FOREIGN
MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON AND
ATTEND THE G7 SUMMIT.
THEN HES ON TO BRUSSELS TO MEET
WITH NATO LEADERS.
FINALLY, HE WRAPS UP IN GENEVA
WHERE HE WILL MEET FACE TO FACE
WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR
PUTIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
BECOMING PRESIDENT.
JOINING US NOW FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED KINGDOM
AND SWEDEN, MATTHEW BARZEN.
HE IS ALSO THE NATIONAL FINANCE
CHAIR FOR PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMAS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN AND
HES THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK
ENTITLED "THE POWER OF GIVING
AWAY POWER.
HOW THE BEST LEADERS LEARN TO
LET GO," AND I CANT WAIT TO
TALK ABOUT THAT CONCEPT OF THAT
BOOK.
I THINK ITS BRILLIANT, MR.
AMBASSADOR, BUT FIRST, LETS
TALK ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS FIRST
TRIP ABROAD.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHALLENGES
ARE IN FRONT OF HIM TO EXECUTE
IN THIS TRIP AND -- AND WHATS
YOUR GUT ON WHAT THE TOP
PRIORITY IS?
>> FIRST OF ALL, MIKA, PLEASE
CALL ME MATTHEW AND --
>> I CANT TAKE IT.
>> ONE OF YOUR EARLIER GUESTS
TALK ABOUT HITTING THE RE-SET
BUTTON WHICH I THINK MAKES SENSE
GIVEN HOW OUR ALLIES WERE
TREATED IN THE PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION AND I WOULD HOPE
THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN AND PRIME
MINISTER JOHNSON WOULD HIT A
DIFFERENT KIND OF BUTTON WHICH
IS KIND OF THE GET REAL BUTTON,
BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, THEY HAVE
THE CLIMATE TO DEAL WITH -- THEY
HAVE THE CORPORATE TAX ISSUES TO
DEAL WITH, BUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF
US, THIS COVID VACCINATION FOR
THE WORLD AND THAT SEEMS TO ME,
AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE THESE
COUNTRIES CAN GET TOGETHER AND
DEAL WITH THE MEDICAL AND THE
LOGISTICAL, AND OF COURSE, THE
ETHICAL COMPONENTS AND FINANCIAL
TO ALL OF THIS, AND THATS WHAT
IM HOPING FOR AND IF THEY GET
REAL AND DO HARD WORK TOGETHER
WE CAN GET STUFF DONE.
>> ITS WILLIE GEIST, GREAT TO
HAVE YOU.
IM SLIGHTLY DISTRACTED BY YOUR
VINYL COPY OF JOHNNY CASH, ONE
FOR THE AGES.
LETS TALK ABOUT THE STATE OF
BRITISH-AMERICAN AFFAIRS.
HOW MUCH DAMAGE, IF YOU BELIEVE
THERE WAS REAL DAMAGE DONE TO
THE RELATIONSHIP UNDER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND WHAT SHOULD
BE THE JOB OF THIS PRESIDENT IN
REPAIRING IT?
>> YEAH.
LOOK, I MEAN, I THINK SIX DAYS
AFTER I ARRIVED IN THE JOB IN
2013 THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE UK WAS
DECLARED DEAD ON THE FRONT PAGE
OF THE BIGGEST NEWSPAPER IN THE
COUNTRY, SO WE TEND TO, I THINK,
DECLARE IT DEAD.
I THINK THE STRENGTH OF THE
FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO
COUNTRIES -- WE DONT DO HARD
THINGS TOGETHER BECAUSE WERE
FRIENDS.
WE ARE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE HAVE
DONE HARD THINGS TOGETHER, SO
THAT WOULD BE MY HOPE WITH BIDEN
AND JOHNSON AND THE REST OF THE
G7 WHICH IS DO THIS HARD,
MEANINGFUL WORK TOGETHER.
RIGHT NOW, GET REAL, ROLL UP
YOUR SLEEVES AND THEN
FRIENDSHIPS -- LOOK AT YOUR
WONDERFUL SET.
IF YOU SET OUT TO BE FRIENDS
WITH SOMEONE, THAT USUALLY
DOESNT WORK, BUT IF YOU DO HARD
WORK AND DO A GREAT SHOW
TOGETHER FRIENDSHIP EMERGES AND
I THINK THE SAME IS TRUE WITH
COUNTRY.
>> LET ME CORRECT SOMETHING.
ITS NOT FRIENDLY AROUND THAT
SET.
THEYRE VICIOUS.
>> ONLY TO YOU, SAM.
ONLY TO YOU.
>> GOOD TO KNOW.
>> ONLY TO ME.
ON THE TOPIC OF YOUR BOOK, "THE
POWER OF GIVING UP POWER," THE
TAG LINE BANKLY MADESICALLY MADE
THINK, THE ADMINISTRATION IS NOW
AT THIS JUNCTURE GIVING UP
POWER.
THEY ARE VACCINATING THE WORLD.
THEYRE TAKING OUR ABUNDANCE OF
SUPPLY AND SAYING NO, WE CAN
HAND IT TO NEEDY COUNTRIES.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHETHER YOU
FEEL LIKE ADMINISTRATION IS
MAKING A LEGAL GAIN BY DOING
THIS OR SHOULD THEY BE DOING
MORE TO THE WORLD AS A WAY OF
CREATING THESE TYPES OF
PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS THAT
YOURE TALKING ABOUT?
>> I THINK YOU JUST HIT ON THE
KEY WHICH IS PRODUCTIVE AND
RELATIONSHIP, AND SO THE
PUBLISHERS WOULDNT LET ME HAVE
A LONGER TITLE, GIVE AWAY POWER
SO YOU CAN GET IT BACK AND THAT
IS HOW THESE THINGS WORK.
WHAT WE GET TRICKED INTO OFTEN,
THERES SELFLESSNESS OR
SELFISHNESS AND THOSE ARE THE
TWO CHOICES.
WHAT I THINK YOU SEE IN THE
REALM OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS AND
PERSONAL AFFAIRS IS THERES THIS
OTHER OPTION WHICH IS LIBERATION
OR FREEDOM TOGETHER.
THATS THE IDEA OF AMERICA AT
ITS BEST.
THAT IS MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
AT ITS BEST.
ITS NOT BEING SELFLESS AND ITS
NOT HELPING OTHERS AND ITS
HELPING OURSELVES THROUGH
HELPING OTHERS.
>> SO, MATT, I LOVE THIS
CONCEPT, BUT I WANT TO KNOW HOW
YOU CAN PUT IT INTO PLAY WHEN
YOURE DEALING WITH A COUNTRY
WITH AUTHORITARIAN TENDENCIES OR
WITH A HISTORY OF THAT, BUT EVEN
MORE SO GIVEN YOUR EXPERIENCE IN
SWEDEN AND THE UK AND AROUND THE
WORLD.
WHEN YOURE TALKING ABOUT IS
PRODUCTIVE DIPLOMACY.
IT COULD BE THE SAME THING, BUT
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT HITS UP
AGAINST A COUNTRY THAT DOESNT
SEE IT THE SAME WAY?
>> YEAH.
YOU MENTIONED SWEDEN.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS SERVING
OVER THERE RIGHT BEFORE YOUR
BROTHER I MET THIS AMAZING WOMAN
AT USAID, AND I SAID WHY DONT
WE DO MORE COORDINATION OF
FOREIGN AID.
HERES THE THING, MATTHEW.
EVERYONE LIKES COORDINATION AND
NO ONE LIKES TO BE COORDINATED
AND THAT REALLY STRUCK ME AS
TRUE.
NO ONE LIKES TO BE TOLD WHAT TO
DO AND IF WE FIND OURSELVES AS A
COUNTRY DOING THAT, WE CAN
EXPECT THE LACK OF ENGAGEMENT
THAT WILL FOLLOW.
I GUESS TO YOUR HARD QUESTION
ABOUT AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES, I
THINK WEIGH CAN START -- WE HAVE
LOST THESE HABITS OF
INTERDEPENDENCE AND HERE IN
AMERICA OVERSEAS AND WE SHOULD
START JUST WITH OUR FRIENDS AND
ALLIES, REALLY PRACTICE THIS --
THESE HABITS OF INTERDEPENDENCE
OF MAKING FREEDOM TOGETHER AND
COVID GIVES US SUCH A GOOD
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT HARD WORK
TOGETHER AND SETTING THAT
PATTERN AND THAT TONE AMONG
FRIENDS AND ALLIES CAN GO A LONG
WAY.
ITS AN INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE
FORCE.
>> THE BOOK IS "THE POWER OF
GIVING AWAY POWER," HOW THE BEST
LEADERS LEARN TO LET GO AND
MATTHEW BARZUN, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
YOUR EXAMPLE OF HOW COVID COULD