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Clinton has visited Europe on several occasions in the last few years while Obama never convened a single policy meeting of the Senate European Subcommittee which he chairs, says Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation. Clinton is characterized as the most “Hawkish” candidate and Obama as the most influenced by the idea of American exceptionalism and thus the most likely to patronize America’s allies. Nonetheless, both candidates’ rhetoric evidences an overarching adherence to the principles of multilateralism, cooperation, and international legality.

In Europe, the election of a Democratic candidate is likely to be welcomed. However, that is not to say that the relationship will simply be upgraded by virtue of a hypothetical new American president’s Democratic affiliation; much work needs to be done indeed to achieve a better understanding between the partners.
Given the significance of the transatlantic partnership in world affairs, irregardless of how damaged and weak it may currently be, it is surprising how marginal a topic it has been rendered by the major Democratic candidates to the presidency of the United States. The intentions of the Democratic hopefuls vis-à-vis the reinvigoration of relations with European allies are usually implied or mentioned shortly in a rather procedural fashion without any talk of a concrete strategy to accomplish better cooperation.

Hillary Clinton New York Senator Hillary Clinton authored the article “Security and Opportunity for the Twenty-First Century,” contained in the Foreign Affairs issue for January\February 2008.

In the section “Strengthening Alliances,” Senator Clinton states the following:

It is important to engage our adversaries but even more important to reassure our allies. We must reestablish our traditional relationship of confidence and trust with Europe. Disagreements are inevitable, even among the closest friends, but we can never forget that on most global issues we have no more trusted allies than those in Europe. The new administration will have a chance to reach out across the Atlantic to a new generation of leaders in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. When America and Europe work together, global objectives are within our means.

Further, in her campaign’s website, her foreign policy is described as follows:

First, we must renew our internationalism for a new century. Senator Clinton emphasized that we did not face World War II or the Cold War alone and we cannot face the global terrorist threat or other profound challenges alone. She noted that a terrorist cell may recruit in Southeast Asia, raise funds in the Middle East and plan attacks in the United States or Europe. […] Senator Clinton underscored that we cannot turn our back on international institutions. We have to modernize them and where needed create new ones.

In this spirit Senator Clinton conveys, not only will she “reach out across the Atlantic,” but she will also “work together” with European allies, implying thus an equal footing in the interactions between both sides. In the NPR Debates on December 4, 2007, Senator Clinton championed “a doctrine that demonstrates that the United States is not afraid to cooperate; that through cooperation in our inter-dependent world, we actually can build a stronger country and a stronger world that will be more reflective of our values.” She has, however, also aimed at being perceived as the toughest democratic candidate, which is epitomized by her positions on nearly every issue from Iraq to terrorism. Moreover, she is also convinced of America’s duty to lead the world, and she has incorporated this idea into her rhetoric by repeating constantly she is “ready to lead.” It is possible to restore American leadership, in her mind, “by once again valuing alliances, respecting our values, and understanding that American strength is more than just a show of force.” How exactly she will strike a balance between international cooperation and American hegemonic leadership remains to be seen!

Barack Obama In turn, Senator Barack Obama has also written an article for Foreign Affairs, and his statements as to the state of transatlantic cooperation and how to improve it, read as follows:

Too often we have sent the opposite signal to our international partners. In the case of Europe, we dismissed European reservations about the wisdom and necessity of the Iraq war […] I will rebuild our ties to our allies in Europe and Asia and strengthen our partnerships throughout the Americas and Africa.

As blogger Nanne Zwagerman at DJ Nozem has suggested, Senator Obama could be wrapped up in the idea of American exceptionalism and moral high ground, which has so often proved an obstacle for American leaders when engaging the rest of the world. Nevertheless, as he also points out, Obama’s prospective National Security Advisor, Ms. Samantha Power, is known for her proficiency on military intervention for humanitarian reasons, which may signal a continuation of US military engagement, but a departure from unilateralism.

Obama acknowledges the pivotal role of the European Union at least concerning one crucial issue. Namely, climate change and global warming:

Clean energy development must be a central focus in our relationships with major countries in Europe and Asia. […] We need a global response to climate change that includes binding and enforceable commitments to reducing emissions, especially for those that pollute the most: the United States, China, India, the European Union, and Russia.

He also says that he is committed to revamping NATO, and to ‘rally’ its members to restructure the organization. His track record vis-à-vis Europe is, however, troubling. As chairman of the Senate European Subcommittee he failed to convene a single policy meeting, which might indicate a lack of interest in the other side of the Atlantic altogether.

Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation compares Obama’s and Clinton’s work in the Senate:

I am convinced of something about Hillary Clinton’s commitment to use every lever and every aspect of government machinery to push her legislative and policy work that I’m disappointed to say that I can’t find as strongly in Barack Obama’s profile. My concern has to do with the fact that as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Europe, Obama has held zero hearings — at least that is how the record appears to me.

Compare this to the House Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe, which is having constant hearings — or to the Senate Subcommittee’s work before Obama became Chair — or to a comparative commitment of Hillary Clinton on a Subcommittee she chairs, and the zero hearing detail is disconcerting. In what has become a head-to-head race between Obama and Clinton, both candidates present differences in character and disposition that may be advantageous or detrimental to reinvigorating the transatlantic dimension, but if they have one thing in common, that is their commitment to request of Europe and its leaders that they take on a more active role in procuring international security!

Members of the Atlantic Community, who do you support? Which of these Democratic candidates can do the most for America, for transatlantic relations, for the world? Tell us what you think by dropping a comment below!
Christian Andreas Morris is a member of the Atlantic Community’s editorial team, as well as a student of International Relations and German Studies at the University of California-Davis and the Free University of Berlin. The Atlantic Community has also reviewed the Republican front-runners’ statements on Europe .

Related Materials on the Atlantic Community:

• Nikolas Gvosdev: Time for Frank Talk on US-EU Relations
• Will Nuland: The Next American President: Democratic Foreign Policy
• Will Nuland: The Next American President: Republican Foreign Policy