Barack Obama Continues to Patch Up Holes in U.S. Foreign Policy

The U.S. president has begun his tour of the “Old World” in Ireland, after which he will continue it in the U.K. and round it out in the French town of Deauville, where he will attend the G8 summit. Correspondent Constantine Eggert explains the reasons for Obama’s spontaneous interest in Europe.

Barack Obama, the messiah and current president of the United States, is continuing to patch up the holes in U.S. foreign policy that were created during the first two years of his presidency. He is slowly coming around to accepting what was previously done by all other American presidents.

First there was the successful elimination of Osama bin Laden — a real George W. Bush style operation. Now the president has been reminded that there is such a thing as transatlantic relationships in the form of the traditional alliances with European democracies. Neither Bush nor Clinton, not to mention the presidents of the Cold War, ever forgot about this. It is largely through these very relationships, which found their most complete expression in NATO, that America has managed, and still manages, to remain a global power.

However, under Obama, Europe has become a secondary, if not tertiary topic in U.S. foreign policy agenda. This happened for three simple reasons. Firstly, compared with the Middle East and China, European problems are really not that serious. Secondly, Obama has been and remains confident that his image as a demigod in the “Old World” is so strong that he will always be able to rely on the Europeans without having to continue convincing them. Thirdly, Obama does not know much more than the average student about matters regarding the European Union and the issues facing the continent after the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, Washington needs European allies in order to succeed in Afghanistan. Without them nothing would have even relatively worked in Iraq and nothing will work in Libya. Without them, it would also be all the more difficult to build relations with Russia.

Thus, both the image and the practical aspects of relations with European countries are important for the United States. So Obama is striving to catch up. And in Europe, if a welcome reserved for celestial beings does not await him (as his former splendor has slightly faded), then there will be at least a cordial meeting.

It would clearly be useful for the American president to consult with British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France on the eve of the G8 summit in Deauville. There is no question that the main topics on the agenda will be Libya and the situation in Afghanistan. Conflict management of the Palestinian-Israeli situation in particular, as well as the Arab revolutions and unrest in general, will certainly be among the main points. It is also evident that Russia will be discussed in a very specific context and some will wonder: "Will this be the last G8 summit for Dmitry Medvedev?” Georgia, Ukraine and Russia’s missile defenses most likely will not be discussed or even mentioned in passing. It’s also clear that Obama's partners in the talks will also try to guess if they will meet with him again in 2013 or if someone else will take his place.