Obama and Europe

Never has the arrival of a new president in the White House sparked so much hope in Europe, both in public opinion and with country leaders. Barack Obama’s personality, a symbol that incarnates the overcoming of racial divisions and a promise of change, is clear to many.

But, there are two other basic explanations for this.

During the last eight years of George W. Bush Europeans have often had a feeling that they were being subjected to the swaying of an America whose power was no longer a guarantee of stability. They are desperate to be able to trust again.

Further, the world has become so uncertain that we can no longer congratulate ourselves for the return to pragmatism and realism promised by the new administration in Washington.

Hopes are so high, we tell ourselves, that the world will definitely be disappointed. Maybe. Barack Obama is inheriting a serious financial crisis which will take up most of his energy for a long period of time. Throughout the world, a tangled web of conflicts is stacking up. No American president, however brilliant, can have a miracle solution for so many simultaneous problems.

It is a fact that Barack Obama doesn’t know Europe very well. It’s also true that he has other priorities: Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East… but will he be able to neglect transatlantic relations?

The lessons of the last eight years make us think that he won’t be able to. America can no longer pretend to act alone. And, if diplomacy is back in Washington, it is precisely because a need exists to reinforce relations with allies and beyond. A change of gear may enable the resolution of crises which up to now have been impossible to resolve. On the subject of the fight against global warming, a convergence between Europe and Obama’s America would be a force to be reckoned with!

Everything will depend on what Europe will bring to the table. We will be called on more and more and will have to meet the expectations of a president driven by his popularity.

In Afghanistan for example, Europeans have traditionally backed the critics, rightly so, in view of the way in which the war was carried out by Washington. What excuses will the most obstinate Europeans find if Obama defines a more convincing strategy?

With Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton surrounded by a team of high-flying experts, expect a heavy acceleration.

If they want to stay involved, Europeans will need to be reactive, to get over their penchant for division and make sure that the more faint-hearted countries do not impede their ability to act.

This does not mean that Europe should always be in agreement with whatever Barack Obama may propose, it should aim to be a primary negotiator.

As concerns Iran’s nuclear power, the Middle East, and the subject of financial regulation, to be taken seriously by the White House, Europeans need to “do their duty.” They no longer have the easy excuse and negative public opinion that George W. Bush’s administration engendered.