As a journalist who covers U.S-European relations and as a U.S. citizen who hopes for better relations with Europe in the next administration, it was quite gratifying to see so many Berliners waving American flags to greet U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in Tiergarten last week.
Too often in the last eight years, Germany has greeted American politicians with disinterest, disdain or worse. The images of Obama standing in front of hundreds of thousands of cheering Germans are spectacular and a reminder that an American politician is still welcome on foreign shores.
There is a general sense in the media and among Obama campaign volunteers I've spoken with that if Obama were to win the presidency there would be a sea change in European-U.S. relations. Under Obama, a new course would be charted with both sides agreeing on the way forward.
It is easy to understand this belief seeing the reception Obama received in Berlin. However, this reception needs to be put into context. Obama's message of change is one that is embraced by Germans, who vehemently opposed the large majority, if not all, of George W. Bush's policies. Therefore, any change is a welcome change, especially if it comes in the form of a charismatic figure like Obama.
However, Obama's popularity should not be interpreted as a shift in German policy towards the United States. Many officials I spoke with while reporting from Berlin earlier this year said Germany will continue to act in its own interests no matter who is in the White House. It is doubtful that Germany, if Obama is elected, would send more troops to Afghanistan. Nor would the German government decide to scuttle the Baltic Sea pipeline. Both of these moves would be more in line with U.S. policy. Obama might be as popular as Elvis, but even the King couldn't wean Germany off of Russian energy.
Two more things to consider:
An Obama victory is not guaranteed. It is obvious that he is the popular choice among the chattering classes and the foreign policy community in the United States. But so was John Kerry four years ago. U.S. elections are won along the Rust Belt in the Midwest and in the rural South. This part of the country is still undecided on Obama.
Second, the Republicans could use this speech as a way to portray Obama as out-of-touch with working class Americans. There is always a danger in a modern-day presidential candidate appearing as "too European." By giving a speech in Berlin, Obama is playing with fire.
There is little doubt that the next U.S. president will be more welcome than George W. Bush has been in Europe and around the world. My hope for the next U.S. president is that they can repair the transatlantic relationship that has been battered over the last eight years and move forward with open and honest dialog.
David Francis is a freelance journalist based in Washington, DC.
Related materials from the Atlantic Community:
- Obama in Europe: Continuity We Can Believe In
- Matthias Stephan Fifka: Obama's European Voters
- Ruediger Lentz: A New Political Messiah?
- 16
July 29, 2008
Heinrich Bonnenberg, Energiewerke Nord
DGAP, Platinum Contributor (358)
US should be more sensitive towards European history and European future, towards European feelings and European interests, towards Europe at all. It is not helpful and not fair to identify Russia again and yet again to be the beelzebub who only wants to dominate the other Europeans through gas and oil.
And we Europeans should understand that it might be that US is somewhat fearing a European "superpower" consisting of EU and Russia and the others, having sufficient energy, best technology and a huge market of about 700 million people with vital connections to Central Asia through the partner Russia.
Obviously, more communication between Europe and US is necessary!