Europe Isn’t Obama’s Highest Priority

A visit full of gestures, but bound to the past: German newspapers are mostly critical of Obama’s visit to Germany. And most of all, they fault his non-committal aloofness.

Leipziger Volkszeitung:

“Merkel successfully pulled off the trick of getting along with two American Presidents who could not be more different from one another. But in fact, her relationship with Obama isn’t much different from her relationship with Bush: Not blustering, but self-confident and tenacious, she sets out her opinions and Germany’s interests. She asked Bush to close Guantanamo, but she tells Obama Germany will not accept any Guantanamo prisoners in Germany without good reason. The fact that Obama jovially calls Merkel his friend and refers to Germany as an outstanding trans-Atlantic partner has another facet to it: One expects more help from friends, such as sending troops to Afghanistan.”

Mitteldeutsche Zeitung:

“Obama, so far, has nothing to offer his allies but gestures. He remembers the end of World War II by visiting Buchenwald and the Normandy beaches where the Allied invasion began. The content of his political discourse – in contrast to his Cairo speech – was meaningless. It’s almost as if the tone out of Washington since the Bush era may have changed, but America’s view of the “Old World” remains the same. We thought so, at first, and now our thoughts have been confirmed: Like every American President before him, Obama has to set his priorities. Right now, those aren’t in Europe.”

Nordbayerischer Kurier:

“Obama has it tough; many people groan with inward irritation, because he puts so much stock in the power of symbols. They wonder why we can’t just be inspired by his basic message and ignore all the interpretations of his trip being forced on us. In this volatile world, we have to recall how very suddenly mankind can slip into depravity. In Normandy today, Obama will remind us that Europe may now live in peace and prosperity, because many young men died invading Europe and overthrowing the Nazi regime.”

Nürnberger Nachrichten:

“This was the first time an American president set foot inside a former concentration camp and, in so doing, he demonstrated his respect for every victim of the Nazi regime. With his visit through the memorial, he reminded Germans of America’s role, along with the British and Russians, in liberating Europe. Without the rapid advance of the Allied armies that led to Germany’s capitulation on May 8th 1945, the Nazis would have continued their murderous acts for months.”

Saarbrücker Zeitung:

Angela Merkel and Barack Obama will surely never get really close. She’s suspicious of all the hoopla surrounding him, and he’s put off by her sober, clinical manner and the fact that she didn’t allow him to speak at the Brandenburg Gate during his campaign. Despite their different interests, however, Merkel’s common sense and Obama’s visionary power aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. Political engagement and the exchange of ideas could even benefit these traits. If they’re both willing.”

Sächsische Zeitung:

Dresden can be well-satisfied by Obama’s visit. It was a great honor for the city to host the world’s most powerful man, especially since it was one of his first foreign visits. The fact that the Americans decided on Dresden, themselves, and stuck to their decision, despite several scheduling problems, also helps. They honored the city as an international center for reconciliation, for which the Church of Our Lady is a symbol. That’s a fact of which many citizens of Dresden aren’t even yet aware.”

Badische Zeitung:

“Obama’s visit to Germany was supposed to be short and sweet; he mainly wanted to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp and the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl. But, somehow, Angela Merkel succeeded in getting photo ops with him. That was important for her, because it’s election time. And it’s also why Merkel’s principle opponent, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) candidate, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was allowed in only the group photo. That’s how underhanded politics can be.”

Kölnische Rundschau:

“Obama doesn’t want to give the impression that all his criticism in any way minimizes his basic solidarity with Israel. Israel’s right to exist within secure borders with peaceful neighbors remains a historic obligation for the Americans, as it is for the Germans. And where better to demonstrate this commitment than the locations Obama chose yesterday? It’s perhaps a bit unfortunate, from the German point of view, because it again puts Germany in the spotlight on the world stage. One would have preferred a more intensive focus on Germany’s present-day freedoms and democracy, even though candidate Obama used the Berlin Victory Column last year as a mere backdrop during his campaign.”

Wiesbadener Kurier:

“His campaigning German hostess hardly had the time, and Obama really had nothing new to discuss with her. The areas of cooperation and the small, subtle differences of opinion between the Americans and the Europeans were already known, ever since the last NATO and G20 summits. The non-committal but polite balance between Obama and Merkel speaks volumes: Without the connection to his own homeland, Obama’s visit to Germany would simply have been unnecessary.”

Lübecker Nachrichten:

“The pictures of the German chancellor and the American president, accompanied by two survivors of Nazi barbarism, laying flowers at the entrance to the Buchenwald concentration camp, will go down in history. In the run up to his visit, Obama’s appearance at Buchenwald was seen as a sort of compensation for his failure to visit Israel. But such petty considerations won’t affect the great historic and moral aspect of Obama’s gesture.”

Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung:

“The use of symbolic gestures and pictures has long had a place in politics. It’s by no means a negative one, as long as people don’t forget how they relate to the political reality. The charisma of German-American relations is currently shaky; Germany’s fading relevancy is visible in the G8 as it is within NATO, Afghanistan and even in Obama’s travel itinerary. As much as the campaigning German chancellor enjoys basking in the glow of Obama’s popularity, she will ultimately have to do more than just smile sympathetically.”