Sarah Palin’s international debut: the verdict

Sarah Palin has taken her first steps into international politics - addressing an audience of financiers in Hong Kong for a reported fee of $300,000. Although the 90-minute speech took place behind closed doors, several audience members gave their opinion afterwards. Surprisingly, given the rambling nature of some of her addresses in Alaska when she stood down as state governor in July, the verdict was largely positive.

One audience member said her speech was "wide-ranging, very balanced, and she beat all expectations". He added: "She didn't sound at all like a far-right-wing conservative. She seemed to be positioning herself as a libertarian or a small-c conservative."
 
Palin, who used notes during her presentation, talked about economic development in the Asia region and broached the subject of international trade - attacking US tariffs on Chinese-made tyres and describing the Obama administration as "anti-open and anti-growth".
 
Tweets from audience members during her speech said she warned against a "one-nation Asia", stressed the importance of multipolarity in the region, and said: "We hope for China to rise responsibly."
 
She even touched on human rights, explaining that the US was concerned by China's support for repressive regimes, such as those in Sudan and Zimbabwe, and reportedly mentioned Tibet, Burma and North Korea as places where China should be more sensitive.
 
Palin did not abandon her folksy roots altogether - she introduced her speech as "a view right from Main Street, Main Street USA," and portrayed herself as "a commonsense conservative", name-checking Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher along the way.
 
It would seem she has come a long way in a year. The former Governor of Alaska was pilloried for her lack of understanding of foreign policy issues during last year's presidential race. She suggested she had experience of international relations because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska" - but apparently did not know that Africa was a continent. ·