Who Killed Copenhagen?

Over the weekend world leaders announced that they would not reach a legally binding deal on climate change at next month's Copenhagen summit, and Foreign Policy takes a critical look at Who Killed Copenhagen?

The first defendant called to testify on the charge of manslaughter, President Obama for his ambivalence. Next up, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao because China "has clung stridently to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities." Following closely behind Jiabao is Nevada Senator and Senate majority leader Harry Reid- how do you plead? Can Reid explain his foot-dragging? India's Minister of State for Environment and Forests, your "diversionist finger-pointing" is believed to have contributed to the death of Copenhagen.

The sole defendant on the charge of murder is President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue because "the chamber has been front and center in efforts to convince legislators to just say no to cap-and-trade legislation, arguing that measures enacted now to save the planet wouldn't be worth the upfront cost to the U.S. economy."

This week Obama and U.S. Senators can be seen publicly defending themselves against these charges. From this New York Times article "Don't Blame U.S. for Standoff in Int'l Climate Talks, Senators Say,"

"The Senate's failure to approve sweeping global warming legislation should not be blamed for a failure to reach a global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions at U.N. talks in Copenhagen, two key senators said today.

Times Online reports President Obama spoke yesterday in Beijing "two days after his officials had ruled out signing a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen," and "attempted to restore confidence in international negotiations on climate change by saying that next month’s UN summit in Copenhagen should deliver an agreement on emissions with “immediate operational effect.”

Does this news come as a shock to you? What does it tell us about international negotiations and policy making?