die Tageszeitung, Germany
Translated By Ron Argentati
9 November 2008
Edited by BridÂgette Blight
Germany - die Tageszeitung - Original Article (German)
Researcher Peter Rudolf thinks the United States will ask for increased German participation in Afghanistan – but due to the coming German elections, the accent won’t be on military engagement. Dr. Rudolf is an expert on America and is leader of the 'Transatlantic Foreign Policy Discourse' project in Berlin. An interview:
Tageszeitung (TAZ): Mr. Rudolf, will we see a fundamental change in American foreign policy under President Obama?
Peter Rudolf (PR): Continuity will predominate. We can expect a change only in the way Barack Obama wants to re-establish America’s role as a leader, namely leading by example and with a multilateral approach.
TAZ: What do you mean when you say “leading by example?”
PR: Obama has often said in this regard that he wants to close the prison camp at Guantanamo and forbid the use of torture. Besides that, he wants the United States to play a leading role in environmental policy.
TAZ: What would a multilateral American foreign policy under Obama look like?
PR: Current international institutions would be strengthened and renewed so that newly emerging powers may be integrated and are able to make use of them. Multilateralism also means the United States will use international institutions in their own interests and that burdens of the leadership role will be shared by other countries.
TAZ: How free will Obama actually be to shape his foreign policy?
PR: He is under great political pressure to act, both domestically and overseas. The consensus of the American elite that America must remain an indispensable peacekeeping power has to be considered. His goals are lofty. On the one hand, he would like a world free of nuclear weapons and on the other he wants to lead in environmental policy by example. Congress has a say in both those areas.
TAZ: A world free of nuclear weapons seems highly unrealistic, doesn’t it?
PR: Of course it sounds utopian. But he can set the course. Perhaps a disarmament treaty with Russia could be negotiated even though Russia, at the moment, is emphasizing nuclear weaponry in its national security policy. It would also be an important step to reduce the number of American nuclear weapons and to modify the doctrine governing their use. The discussion in the United States will revolve around the extent to which America is willing to disarm unilaterally in order to comply with disarmament obligations in the non-proliferation treaty. Unilateral disarmament steps would create credibility.
TAZ: Is that also a message to Iran that there would be a new base for negotiations?
PR: Whether nations with nuclear weapons potential will be impressed by America’s nuclear policies is difficult to say.
TAZ: German-American foreign policy relations cooled dramatically, especially between ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and George W. Bush. Will that now change?
PR: Probably the most important thing is that the perception of the United States and its role will change in Germany. If Barack Obama pushes for greater participation from its allies, if Guantanamo is closed, if the United States wants to again be considered a power that supports human rights and leads by example, then political and economic relations between Germany and the United States will have been brought to a new level.
TAZ: And what can Germany expect from Obama?
PR: Germany will welcome Obama’s willingness to build stronger multilateral ties. But that also means a sharing of burdens. New demands will be made on Germany, one example of which will be increased engagement in Afghanistan. He’ll also ask for stronger European Union participation in Iraq.
TAZ: Will Obama ask for more German troops in Afghanistan?
PR: I don’t think he will strain German-American relations by asking us for more troops in Afghanistan. He will be considerate of the fact Germany will be holding new parliamentary elections next fall. For that reason, he’ll most likely ask for increased economic support in that regard.
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