Continental Drift

Under the leadership of President Obama, America is visibly distancing itself from the European continent. Perhaps Mr. Obama’s more-Pacific-than-Atlantic heritage foreshadowed this drift, as he does not relate to Europe with the familiarity of kinship. Since the beginning of the year, Mr. Obama has repeatedly demonstrated signs of detachment from Europe. In February, he declined an invitation to attend the European Union summit in Madrid. China, his principal creditor, has replaced Europe as America’s most privileged partner. In Copenhagen, the United States — with China — was mainly responsible for the failure of the climate conference supported by Europe.

As during the last G-20 meeting in Toronto, all of this provoked the temper of José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. According to Mr. Barroso, the transatlantic relationship “is not living up to its potential” and the Obama presidency could well be “a missed opportunity.” Underneath the polish of diplomacy, these remarks seem unusually virulent. The personal implications of this drift should not be overlooked. Mr. Barroso, whose American leanings are known (notably, a certain meeting with President Bush in the Azores in 2002), loses his privileged position as the United States distances itself from a close partnership with Europe. In addition, the redundancy of Catherine Ashton’s position as the European Union’s high representative for foreign policy threatens his turf.

So much for the small end of the microscope; a wide angle reveals more fundamental explanations. Not only is Europe no longer a major world player, but the disarray of its institutions gives the appearance of an unreadable (or non-existent) foreign policy. The primary mission of the U.S. president is to defend his country’s interests without the needless waste of time. In this unforgiving universe, Europe would be ill advised to blame its own weaknesses on others.