OBAMA’S AMERICAN DREAM MAKES EUROPE WONDER
EurActiv
n/obama-american-dream-europe-wonder/article-17862 4
Jan 20 2009
Belgium
Europeans appear to be dazed and confused about the United States’
decision to elect a symbol of change to the White House. Some
wish their own societies were capable of similar breakthroughs,
but others are sceptical of President-elect Barack Obama’s ability
to bring about real change, reveals a round-up of contributions from
the EurActiv network.
Tolerance and nationalism
"When will Hungary have a Roma prime minister? When will it be
mature enough to take a step like this?," asked one Hungarian blogger
. Hungary has a Roma community of nearly 600,000 people, and although
Budapest has made genuine efforts to put effective policy in place,
the Roma community largely remains marginalised, as is the case
elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
Indeed, the election of a black American president has raised
questions in Europe about the ethnic tolerance of the old continent’s
societies. One European politician has already been dubbed "the
European Obama": Cem Ozdemir, a German MEP of Turkish descent who
was recently elected co-chairman of the Green party in Germany
(EurActiv 17/11/08).
But some in Europe view that decision as an attempt to copy the
Americans rather than a genuine "civilisation choice", commented
Slovak MEP Milan Gaľa for EurActiv Slovakia.
"The fact that Barack Obama will be the first Afro-American in history
to occupy the most important seat in the White House represents,
forty years after the death of Martin Luther King, an important
statement about the development of American society and can move our
whole civilisation in a positive direction," Gaľa said.
Besides ethnic tolerance, Europeans are also challenging their
nationalisms. A Hungarian blogger of Slovak nationality wrote :
"Obama materialises a dream. A dream that can give strength to a
Hungarian Slovak." He added, with a degree of scepticism: "Imagine a
[Slovak] Hungarian doing this […] after 20-30 years!"
Politics online
Many Europeans admire the use of the Internet in US society, and the
unprecedented skill of Obama’s team in transforming the electoral
process into a discussion (EurActiv 04/11/08).
Tellingly, Margot Wallström, EU Commission vice president responsible
for communication, wrote on her blog: "The Internet has made the whole
electoral process more of an open discussion thanks to the community
mentality evident on the web, and there will be lessons for us in
Europe to learn, but I will return to that another time."
Indeed, Europe will need to return to this, with the European elections
waiting around the corner in June 2009.
To change or not to change
Change in the United States’ unilateral approach to world politics
appears to be Europe’s biggest hope, with issues like the Iraq war
and the war on terror sparking a wide transatlantic divide during
the Bush years.
But government officials in the Czech Republic, which is currently
at the EU’s helm, hope there will be no major changes in US foreign
policy.
The installation of a missile defence radar base on Czech soil is seen
by the conservative-led government as a major priority, with Prime
Minister Mirek Topolánek trying to trade its installation against the
ratification of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty (EurActiv 18/12/08). In fact,
ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was delayed precisely because Prague
was waiting for Obama to take a position on the missile defence system.
This is another reason why the Czech opposition Social Democrats led by
Jiri Paroubek are hoping that the US military’s plans will change. The
Czech daily Hospodarke noviny on Monday (19 January) quoted incoming
Under-Secretary of Defence Michele Flournoy as saying in Congress
that the anti-missile plans could be revalued "in a larger European
security context," involving relations between the US and Russia.
Will this make the radar redundant? The Czech Ministry of Foreign
Affairs refuses to accept that this would mean the end of the radar
project, the daily further wrote.
‘The bread will not be cheaper’ after Obama’s inauguration
In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was the first to host Obama
on European soil at the Elysée Palace when he was still campaigning
for the White House back in July 2008, called the incoming president
his "buddy" ("mon copain").
But now, Sarkozy appears less enthusiastic. The daily Le Parisien
quotes one of Sarkozy’s closests aides as saying: "Obama is here to
defend the interests of the United States, not to make us presents."
Eastern European popular wisdom seems to go in the same
direction. Slovak politicians as a whole did not show over-excitement
on the occasion of the US elections. The country’s Prime Minister
Robert Fico responded to repeated requests by journalists to
comment by saying: "The bread will not be cheaper [after Obama’s
inauguration]." He then declined to further comment on America’s
choice of president.
Stanley Crossick, a policy analyst and founding chairman of the
European Policy Centre, writes on Blogactiv that "there are likely to
be far less changes in the substance of foreign policy objectives than
in style". Given the current difficult economic situation in the US,
Crossick predicts that the first priorities of the new president will
be domestic, saying that "it will take some considerable time to see
a coherent foreign policy emerge".
EU climate lead in peril?
On the environmental front, many analysts have predicted that Obama
will "outgreen Europe" by adopting an ambitious agenda on climate
change (EurActiv 19/01/09).
Willy de Backer, founder of the website 3EIntelligence, writes
on Blogactiv that Europe may lose its self-acclaimed "climate
leadership". Moreover, De Backer sees a climate "counter-revolution"
in the EU against the Commission’s climate and energy package, led by
the new EU member states (which he says never had a green revolution
or strong environmental movements in the first place).
Turkey almost hostile
But if there is a place in Europe where Obama’s election has raised
no enthusiasm at all, it is Turkey. The main reasons for this are
Obama’s remarks on what is officially referred to in Ankara as "the
1915 events" – the Ottoman mass killing of Armenians – and the Cyprus
issue. Indeed, Obama made few friends in Ankara by calling Turkey an
"occupier" of the divided island.
Unlike in Eastern Europe, anti-Americanism seems to be on the rise in
Turkey, a sentiment which appears to have gained in strength during
the two mandates of George W. Bush.
When Obama announced that Senator Joe Biden was his nominee for
vice president, it caused a negative stir in Turkey, EurActiv Turkey
reported.
Turkish public opinion considers US Vice President Biden to be too
close to Armenian and Greek lobbies, and he has also been reproached
for suggesting a partition of Iraq into three parts, including a
Kurdish area, something that Turkey sees a threat.
Positions: According to Sami Kohen, a well-known journalist and expert
on Turkish foreign policy, the possibility of a strategic partnership
between Turkey and the Obama administration remains high, especially
regarding Iran, Pakistan and the Palestinian issue, where Turkish
support is needed.
But Kohen also warns of a possible destructive course in relations
between Washington and Ankara. He sees the Armenian problem as a risk
factor, saying that if Obama uses the word "genocide", it would be
a disaster for the strategic relationship. Another risk relates to
a move by the Democrats, who are predominant both in the Senate and
in the House of Representatives, to make Congress adopt a motion on
the Armenian issue. "Then, Turkey will react harshly," Kohen says.
The second thorny issue is Northern Iraq (the Kurdish issue), Kohen
further notes. Despite agreements made during the Bush administration,
there may be problems, he warns.
The Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP and former
Turkish ambassador to Washington Å~^ukru Elekdag believes the new US
approach to the Kurdish militant group PKK will determine the future
of US-Turkish relations. Elekdag deplores that in 2003, the US struck
off the PKK from its list of terrorist organisations.
"The US, as the country occupying Iraq, has extremely important
responsibilities when it comes to the PKK issue. But the Americans
didn’t move a muscle. Within this period, US overlooked Massoud
Barzani’s exploiting the PKK and this is the real factor negatively
affecting Turkish-American relations. If the new president changes
[the US] position and permits Turkey to carry operations against the
PKK, relations will change for good," the former Ambassador advises.
The governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Suat Kiniklioglu
voiced optimism that Obama will not be lured into an "adventure"
on the Armenian issue.
"It is less likely that the Armenian bill comes to the US Congress
in the first six months […] The Armenian lobby will put pressure
but I don’t think that Obama and his team will get into an adventure,
because they cannot take the risk of turning the entire relations with
Turkey upside down. They will not harm this strategic partnership,"
he comments.
He appears more optimistic with regard to the Kurdish problem
too. "In the issue of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK,
the tableau is clearer. Both Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden
have announced that they want to meet Turkish and Iraqi leaders to
resolve the issue."
Background: Barack Obama was an early opponent of the Bush
administration’s foreign policies, calling for "phased redeployment"
from Iraq and demanding the opening of diplomatic dialogue with Syria
and Iran.
During his campaign, the Illinois senator stated that he would cut
defence budgets and stop investing in "unproven" missile defence
systems. Obama also called for more decisive international action
against genocide in Darfur.
Obama’s international agenda, and the shift from a Republican
to a Democratic administration from which neo-conservatives have
been expelled, has inspired European politicians to speak of "a new
beginning in transatlantic relations". But much over-expectation has
accompanied more realistic hopes.
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