Obama and Merkel: Atlantic Gestures

Sound and vision did not always match. Words hardly could have been more affectionate. “Germany is very dear to my heart,” says Barack Obama, and then gives the reason: “Because I like Angela Merkel.” He calls her “my friend.”

The German chancellor reciprocally thanks the president for his two “moving visits” to Germany. “I admire your leadership abilities,” praises Obama several times in the only 30-minute long press conference at the White House. Merkel repeatedly introduced her comments on specific issues with “we agree.”

Their body language speaks quite differently, however. Only three feet separates the two in the East Room in the White House, where they stand behind two blue speaker’s desks with light brown bases, adorned with the seal and eagle of the U.S. president. It seemed as if an invisible barrier divided them.

Although Obama turns his body quarter of the way towards Merkel when she speaks, his face remains serious and somehow businesslike. The chancellor is focused when the president speaks, with the corners of her mouth pointing down, a look that is typical for her and that – maybe unintentionally – confers a certain degree of skepticism. Both nod their heads every now and then to underline their approval of the other’s statements.

Thus, the impression remains: here are two people that understand each other pretty well on a factual basis. But they do not express this with gestures of personal affection. It might not be in their nature. Or they simply do not want to.

Yet, what a difference it is from the White House meetings between Merkel and George W. Bush. There, everything seemed to have been the other way around: Germany did not want to follow many of his political objectives, from the Iraq War to the methods used in the war against terror to the long denial of climate change and human behavior as the main reason for global warming. Bush tried to conceal those disagreements with physical approaches.

He leaned over to the chancellor, put on a winning smile, and gently pulled her on the arm towards him. She probably did not always appreciate that – even when shaking hands, she kept him at an arm’s length distance. At the same time, it gave her the opportunity to escape Bush’s favor attestations with a bashful, girlish smile. Then, the physical interaction was highly visible. Between Obama and Merkel, it was largely missing.

The change in body language from the old to the new U.S. president towards the German chancellor could already be observed at the G-20 summit in London, at the NATO meeting in Baden-Baden and Strasbourg, as well as at his visit in Dresden and Buchenwald three weeks ago. Several in the German media interpreted this as proof that Obama and Merkel do not get along. Nothing similar could be heard from the United States.

The visit of the chancellor should have clarified such theses once and for all. The president took two and a half hours to talk to her; first in private for 30 minutes, then at a conference with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, and finally during lunch. Supposedly, Obama jokingly asked what he could do to end the rumors.

Angela Merkel was honored with even more gestures of deference. Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and like Merkel a strong supporter of climate protection, invited Merkel to hold a speech in front of both chambers of Congress. In addition, only few foreign guests are granted a press conference with Obama. Because of the humid weather with high chances of rain, it was transferred from the rose garden to the East Room – another first.

The main topics of the conference are the handling of the current power struggle in Iran and climate protection. At the same time, the House of Representatives is discussing a draft bill about restricting greenhouse gases and America’s participation in emissions trading. The content drags far behind German objectives. For the U.S., however, it would be a major step in the right direction. It appears that, thus far, the House of Representatives holds a majority, but not the Senate. This overshadows the prospects for the climate conference in Copenhagen.

Concerning Iran, Merkel and Obama both try to find a balance between solidarity with the Democrats and the objective to keep the door to negotiations about the end of the nuclear program open.

Only at the very end, when Obama is asked to assign Germany a spot on his emotional map, do cheerfulness and heartiness take over. His African half sister Auma had studied in Heidelberg and “she had a great time there,” he says.

Once more, Merkel is showered in compliments: “I can trust her.” She admits that she had read the passages in Obama’s autobiography about Auma in Heidelberg very closely. Now both are laughing candidly. And suddenly, it seems as if both get along extremely well, even on a personal basis.