Obama: Hopes, Aspirations and Realities

What is the source of Barack Obama’s appeal, an appeal that makes him seem more like a redeemer than a politician?

Well, he has spoken. And about 200,000 Berliners came to see and hear him. First, and above all, Obama personifies the opposite of George W. Bush and his Neocons. This fact alone elevates him to almost savior-like status in the eyes of many Europeans.

And so much for anti-Americanism! The last time so many people gathered in Berlin to support America was the day after the September 11th attacks in 2001.

The pro-American mass demonstrations last Thursday – and “pro-American” is the operative term for the crowd’s reception of Obama’s speech – showed that the last eight years haven’t been a rejection of America and its values, but a rejection of the policies and persona of George W. Bush.

Barack Obama has already changed how others see America. That evening in Berlin made clear that the yearning for responsible world leadership, the belief in common sense and American values, and the knowledge that only the United States can take this leadership role, are still intact.

Second, Barack Obama personifies a new generation. As much as Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush differ so starkly from one another, they both belong to the generation of the 1960s, a generation that had its day and did what it did.

Third, and above all, Barack Obama is a politician with a great deal of charisma whose message of a better and more just world sounds credible, and is therefore appealing. Small steps aren’t enough to inspire citizens to democracy.

But there’s also the other Obama, the realistic power-politician. The bottom line is, he wants to be the 44th President of the United States. Everyone who listened closely to his Berlin speech also clearly heard him say that neither America nor Europe alone will be able to solve the world’s serious problems; United we stand, divided we fall; America will listen and seek agreements; we’ll decide together and act together; the days of American arrogance and force are over and done with, and when the military situation gets critical, the days of European freeloading are over and done with as well. That was Obama’s Berlin message. And it will have consequences that Europeans may not always like.

The war on terror is by no means over. The war in Iraq was wrong, but the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban is unavoidable. Europe runs the same risks in Afghanistan as the United States. We would love to hear Angela Merkel say that.

All this means that under a President Obama, the current division of labor, with the US fighting and the Europeans rebuilding, will no longer be acceptable. The pressure on Europe and Germany to become engaged with more strength and more risk will increase greatly. He also sees Europe sharing greater responsibilities in the Near- and Middle East.

Africa will receive greater attention under a President Obama, and that’s also good news. He mentioned the tragedy in Darfur several times during his speech. Here, too, Europeans can find new common ground and with a stronger willingness to share the burden and risks involved.

Barack Obama wants to get serious about renewed nuclear disarmament, and Europeans are rightly enthusiastic about that. Simultaneously, that means he will take energetic steps to ensure against the spread of nuclear technology and weapons.

Barack Obama promises to go forward and negotiate cooperatively. If these attempts fail, however, he will expect his alliance partners to do their duty when it comes to alternative action. Iran could serve as the first example of that.

As to climate protection, there will be no new surprises. Obama will only be President if he succeeds in gaining industrial and labor union support in critical states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. In addition, he’ll need a majority in Congress in order to ratify a post-Kyoto agreement.

The same goes for the question of worldwide free trade. A President Obama will, in view of the great economic difficulties in the USA, first have to support policies that address the hardships and worries of American citizens. These questions will be decisive in the coming election.

A President Obama will restore the moral foundations of the United States. That certainly means the unconditional rule of law. Torture and Guantanamo as policy and practice will become a part of America’s past.

This break with the Bush era is of paramount significance, internationally as well, because it will restore American credibility and its leadership role in the arena of human rights.

At the same time, a President Obama will not be able to avoid the realpolitik necessities in the war on terrorism. There, he will have to adhere to a hard-line stance because of domestic politics as well. The same goes for capital punishment, as well as the rights of gun ownership and abortion.

In all the enthusiasm, it should be remembered that Barack Obama is a candidate for the presidency of the United States, and not for the non-existent presidency of Europe. It’s by the majority of Americans on November 4th that he will have to be elected.