Our new president is not a “go it alone” cowboy — and that’s a good thing.

On his eight-day European tour, President Obama sent one clear message: the United States can be a leader that listens to and acts in partnership with other countries, as opposed to a hegemonic coercer that acts individually and has its mistakes come back and bite it in the ass. 

In speaking to the Turkish Parliament but also to the greater Muslim world — the two largest Arabic satellite channels, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, carried his speech live — Obama stated that the United States “is not and never will be at war with Islam. Our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a violent ideology that people of all faiths reject.” 

He continued: “We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. And we will convey our deep appreciation for the Muslim faith, which has done so much to shape the world — including in my own country.”

This explication of the American position is surely a good one. We do not have to agree with all aspects of the Muslim faith — or any of them for that matter — in order to foster mutually beneficial relationships with predominantly Islamic countries. But to form these relationships that will result in fact-sharing and coordinated counterterrorism efforts, we do need to respect the Islamic religion and all of those who truly follow it — those one-billion-plus Muslims who do not believe in jihad and the murder of innocents.  

But while Obama’s words to the Muslim world sent a message of change and will hopefully result in greater coordination to come, the much-sought after increase in support in Afghanistan from NATO members was not realized.

Yes, the raucous applause throughout Europe should be taken as nothing but a positive; and yes, reestablishing the current military efforts of the United States as necessary and worthy of risking lives will take time. But NATO members — those who intelligently refrained from substantially joining the “coalition of the willing” — were left unconvinced by Obama’s call for offers of more troops to join the cause in Afghanistan.

And this lack of support can largely be attributed to Obama’s most glaring international blunder: his choice to pay a surprise visit to Iraq — and not to Afghanistan. 

While visiting Iraq and sending a message that he plans to soon close the book on Bush’s war was not a mistake in itself, Obama made a grave error in not paying a visit to his war. Regardless of how much he talks about the importance of the fight in Afghanistan, the policies he thinks can turn things around there, or the necessity of international cooperation and an international coalition, Obama needs to show the world just how serious he is about his war — not just with words, but with actions.

He clearly had the opportunity to do this — and he missed it.

Instead of demonstrating his need for help in Afghanistan, Obama’s Iraq visit will likely send just the opposite message to foreign nations.

To Britain, Germany, France, and the like: I know the U.S. talks about Afghanistan at least a few times a week, but just please help finish up the job in Iraq and don’t pass any protectionist economic legislation.

Perhaps more importantly, to Pakistan: We tell you that we have lots of aid to give if you help root out Al-Qaeda from the mountains and you share information with us, and we are sorry about the civilians that our drones often kill, but Iraq is still more important than that neighbor of yours.

And obviously most importantly, to the Afghanistan government, civilians, and terrorists: Our war in your country is still number two on our list; our war in your villages that takes the lives of your families and friends is necessary, but not as important as the war that has largely stopped taking lives in Iraq; and as you Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents team up with each other to present a more unified front of anti-Americans with more manpower, shared local knowledge, and arms than ever before, go right ahead. 

So, Mr. President: nice job on the international popularity and the intelligent words — but we are still holding our breath on the actions.

 — Steve Adams is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Annapolis, Md.