[09.10.29 FP]Europe's Obama Fatigue

渔音谦谦

Europe's Obama FatigueBush was better for Europe. No, seriously.


U.S. President Barack Obama is so beloved in Europethat he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize (which he later won) just 12 days aftertaking office for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen internationaldiplomacy and co-operation between peoples." A Pewsurvey this summer found that 93 percent of Germans, 91 percent ofFrench people, and 86 percent of Brits believed Obama "will do the right thingin world affairs," a stunning turnaround from their views on the lastadministration. Yet, this perception belies the reality that Obama hasdone much less for Europe than hispredecessor.
Despite George W. Bush's defiant "you're with us or you're againstus" public stance, he actively solicited advice and input from his NATOpartners. Obama, by contrast, is saying all the right things in publicabout transatlantic relations and NATO but adopting a high-handed policy andpaying little attention to Europe. And Europe is taking a hint.
The signs are telling, the most important but least reported of which are Obama'schoice of staffing. To be sure, there are some very prominent Atlanticists inthe administration. Gen. James Jones, the previous chairman of the AtlanticCouncil and former supreme allied commander, is national security advisor. Andcurrent Atlantic Council Chairman Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has just been appointedas co-chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. But many importantworking-level posts in both the State Department and the National Security Council(NSC) are unfilled. Most notably, the EU portfolio at the State Department has been treated asa political hot potato, currently being handled as an additional duty by theBalkans director.
With such a dreadfully weak human infrastructure at home, it's no wonder nextweek's U.S.-EU summit is expected to be a non-event. The preparations have thusfar mostly focused on protocol rather than policy. The Europeans areparticularly irritated that the luncheon will be hosted by Vice President JosephBiden rather than the U.S. president himself. Under the previousadministration, Bush regularly presided.
On Afghanistan, which allagree is the alliance'smost critical mission, the Europeans are also feeling a bit lorded over. As JacksonDiehl put it, the region's leaders are "frustrated that they mustwatch and wait -- and wait and wait -- for the [U.S.] president to make up hismind." Mark Mardell, BBC's North America editor,reported "a growing sense of frustration" at the NATO defenseministers meeting in Slovakialast week over being held in limbo.
Even in Britain, where the public loves Obama, the government hasbeen obsessed,after repeated slights -- the infamous CD set gifted to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a pressconference canceled due to light snow (or was it fatigue?),being denieda private meeting with Obama at the Pittsburgh summit, etc. --with the notion that the two countries'"special relationship" is over. To be sure, some of this is overblown-- and hardly new -- but Obama has beenless solicitous of his country's most natural ally than any U.S. presidentin memory.
America's relationship withFrancebounced back markedly after Nicolas Sarkozy was elected to replace JacquesChirac. But there have been morethan a few bumps since Obama took office. "Obama's policies are not theAtlanticism that Sarkozy was expecting," Macleansquotes Hall Gardner, a professor of international politics at the American Universityof Paris,as saying. "There've been several elements of disagreement between the two."

Some of this can surely be attributed to Sarkozy's personalpique over upstart Obama stealing some of his thunder -- what the press hasdubbed his "Obama complex" -- as the U.S. president did by swooping into takecredit for China's concessions at the G-20, for example. But there islegitimate frustration over the handling of issues as well. Most famously, ofcourse, Sarkozy complained at the United Nations that "President Obamadreams of a world without weapons but right in front of us two countries [Iranand North Korea]are doing the exact opposite." There are also sharp differences over trooplevels and strategic objectives in Afghanistan, Turkey'scandidacy for the European Union, and the futureof the French nuclear arsenal.
But if Obama's ratings are slowly falling on the continent, oneplace where theyare already low -- lower than Bush's, certainly -- is in the countriesthat former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dubbed "New Europe."While Bush made Eastern and CentralEurope a top priority -- as evidenced by the missile shield in Polandand theCzech Republic and the push for NATO expansion for Georgia and Ukraine-- hissuccessor is clearly more concerned about relations with Russia, theverycountry whose influence New Europe is trying to avoid.
Obama's handling of the policy reversal on missile defense, in particular,has drawn sharp rebukes from theregion, mostly on the execution rather than the policy itself. A Polishofficial was quoted by United Press International proclaiming that,"Waking Czech Prime Minister Fisher at midnight European time, and callingPresident Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Tusk -- who refused to take thecall -- 70 years to the day that Russia invaded Poland -- is politically ineptand very offensive." Another official added, "this simply confirmshow unimportant Europe is to the U.S., despite President Obama'swords to the contrary."
To be sure, this criticism is somewhat overstated. But, as Bush learned tohis chagrin, perception can become reality.
And indeed, while most European heads of state dutifully congratulated Obama after thesurprise announcement of his Nobel win, the European press was as stunnedas their American counterparts. TheIndependent'sIan Birrell assessedthat Obama was being "once again lauded for his symbolism and potentialrather than his actual deeds." PeterBeaumont of The Guardian equallysnarked, "The reality is that the prize appears to have been awarded toBarack Obama for what he is not. For not being George W. Bush. Or rather beingless like the last president."
It would be ironic, indeed, if the Europeans started longing for the goodold days of the Bush administration. But that nostalgia is closer than youmight think.


原文地址：http://www.foreignpolicy.com/art ... bama_fatigue?page=0,0