President Obama thus far has failed to strengthen relationships with historic
allies, focusing instead on a fruitless search for improved relations with
adversaries, writes Robert Kagan in the Washington Post (via Atlantic Community):
The president who ran against "unilateralism" in the 2008
campaign has worse relations overall with American allies than George W. Bush
did in his second term.
Israelis shouldn't feel that they have been singled out.
In Britain, people are talking about the end of the "special relationship" with
America and worrying that Obama has no great regard for the British, despite
their ongoing sacrifices in Afghanistan. In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy
has openly criticized Obama for months (and is finally being rewarded with a
private dinner, presumably to mend fences). In Eastern and Central Europe, there
has been fear since the administration canceled long-planned missile defense
installations in Poland and the Czech Republic that the United States may no
longer be a reliable guarantor of security. Among top E.U. officials there is
consternation that neither the president nor even his Cabinet seems to have time
for the European Union's new president, Herman Van Rompuy, who, while less than
scintillating, is nevertheless the chosen representative of the post-Lisbon
Treaty continent.
Before you dismiss these observation because the author is
a neocon, check out the Roger Cohen's NY Times article, which describes
Obama's disconnect with traditional allies in much stronger words:
The Obama presidency has been a shock to Europe. At heart,
Obama is not a Westerner, not an Atlanticist. He grew up partly in Indonesia and
partly in Hawaii, which is about as far from the East Coast as you can get in
the United States. "He's very much a member of the post-Western world," said
Constanze Stelzenmüller of the German Marshall Fund.
The great struggles of the Cold War, which bound Europe
and the United States, did not mark Obama, whose intellect and priorities were
shaped by globalization, and whose feelings are tied more to the Pacific and to
Africa. He can make a respectable speech on a Normandy beach, but he's probably
the first U.S. president for whom the Allied landing is emotionally remote.
No, the Obama presidency was not shock to Europe.
Moreover, modern Atlanticism has to be firmly based on common interests and
values rather than on feelings. References to Normandy are not enough to promote
transatlantic cooperation at this day and age.
Obama is a pragmatist and does not need to be personally
friends with European leaders to get things done, especially since his
counterparts like Chancellor Merkel are pragmatists as well and not keen on
buddy relationships like George W. Bush, Gerhard Schroeder, Helmut Kohl. When an
urgent need for transatlantic cooperation materializes in the next crisis, then
American and European governments will do business. Recently both sides were
pre-occupied with health care and the eurozone crisis, therefore the introverted
focus on domestic issues.
But: I do believe that President Obama has been
disappointed by Europe and he does not expect much support from Europe for his
policies. He came to that conclusion before assuming the presidency. As Senator
has not convened a single policy meeting of the Senate European subcommittee, of
which he was chairman: Barack Obama's Lack of Real Interest in Transatlantic
Cooperation That is unfortunate, but that is
reality and fair enough, since Europe does not provide that much support for US
policies. Every leader is acting on his and/or his country's self interest.
Some international observers even think that Germany might
be allowed to put the national interest first, as Philip Stephans points out in
the Financial Times:
All in all, solidarity with allies and neighbours now
takes its place in the queue behind German public opinion. Some will say: and
why not? Why should Germany play the part of the altruist? We cannot expect
Germans to be forever paying reparations. No one would ask Mr Sarkozy, or for
that matter Britain's Gordon Brown, to elevate the European ahead of national
interests. We are merely witnessing an inevitable shift. The second half of the
20th century was the exception. Germany is now a "normal" country. If it chooses
a future as Greater Switzerland, what has the rest of Europe to complain
about?
ENDNOTE: Spiegel (via Atlantic Community) adds that Sarkozy
has tried to position himself as Obama's biggest fan for a long time. "During
group photos he always squeezes his way in next to the American, and he has
tried to secure for France the special relationship that Britain has
traditionally had with Washington. (...) But Obama hasn't seemed to take Sarkozy
seriously. When he has, he has often reacted with irritation towards the French
president's brisk leadership style."
Crossposted on my blog Atlantic Review: Obama Does Not Have International
Friends