[El Pais, Spain]
Die Zeit, Germany
'Obama is No
Savior'
"Despite the possible coming of Obama, the superpower
remains. Pacified Europe is fundamentally suspicious of power; those who use it
(and every U.S. president since 1945 has done so in abundance), are indeed
devilish … America, this modern-day steamroller, is inherently
disturbing."
By Josef Joffe
Translated By Ulf
Behncke
June 5, 2008
Germany -
Die Zeit - Original Article (German)
The Zeitgeist 
favors Obama - although not as much in
Asia, Africa and Latin America than in Western Europe. This may be an optical
illusion shaped by our minds: the comforting image whereby it's not America but
George W. Bush that is the problem. Away with the "cowboy;" give us Change & Hope so we can love America
again.
Why is this a trick of the
senses? Firstly because anti-Americanism is older than Bush Jr. As far back as
1999 during a demonstration in Vienna, a poster appeared proclaiming “USA=Nazi”
while Mr. "Nice Guy" Bill Clinton bombed Serbia. Even further back: Hans
Magnus Enzensberger remembers how that "disgruntled
members of the movement
of 1968 cursed their
former object of desire. "USA-SA-SS" they shouted: for them, the CIA
was their devil incarnate.
[Editor's Note: The
"SA" was the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, in German Sturmabteilung
or stormtrooper. The "SS" was Hitler's elite military force, in
German Schutzstaffel or Protective Squadron].
Secondly, because despite the
possible coming of Obama, the superpower remains. Pacified Europe is
fundamentally suspicious of power; those who use it (and every U.S. president
since 1945 has done so in abundance), are indeed devilish. And Obama is no savior.
America, he writes in The Audacity of Hope must, albeit reluctantly,
take on the role of global policeman. It should take "unilateral"
action against those who are "prepared to attack American targets."
The U.N. Security Council must not have a "veto over our actions.” Sounds
somewhat like a moderate Bush - or worse - because even Obama would strike
al-Qaeda inside Pakistan.
Thirdly, because America,
this modern-day steamroller, is inherently disturbing. Wasn't it Marx who wrote
in 1848, “Constant revolutionizing of production,
uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and
agitation distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones" ? If we were to substitute “bourgeois” with “America”, that
sentence would fit like a glove. Or substitute it with “globalization,” whose
vanguard is America.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
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The author of this
article, Joseph Joffe: Read The New York Times review of his book:
ÜBERPOWER: The Imperial Temptation of America
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In Old Europe, we prefer to take
things at a slower pace - no surprise after the catastrophes of the 20th
century. And that's why we don't want
"U.S.-American conditions" (a term coined during the 2002 German
election campaign in reference to America's lack of a social safety net ). We want no American demands, such as increasing the
size of the Bundeswehr [German Army] in Afghanistan, harsh sanctions against
Iran or civilian assistance in Iraq. Obama and McCain are both calling for
these.
But Obama has two further
strikes against him. His party plays with the fire of protectionism against
products as well as people; that is why Asia and Latin America are so skeptical
about the Democrats. Then there is Obama’s idealism, which provides Europeans
with ample reason for concern. And then for good measure, throw in a lofty
human rights policy, conceived not by George W., but by Democrat Jimmy Carter.
This mantra of “human rights” even
annoyed Helmut Schmidt, who was at the time engaged in détente with Moscow.
Obama is firmly within this tradition; By contrast from McCain, the
dyed-in-the-wool Republican, we can expect practical politics, not ideals. This
is something our Steinmeier (German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister ) would
appreciate.
But American elections are
not conducted in Europe. According to latest opinion surveys, the two
candidates are tied: each has 45 percent.
CLICK
HERE FOR GERMAN VERSION
THE WORLD OPINES ON OBAMA:
ASIA
The Jakarta Post, Indonesia
For
Indonesians, Obama is 'Everyone's Son or Friend'
http://worldmeets.us/thejakartapost000003.shtml
EUROPE [from French, Spanish, German,
Portuguese]
Le
Figaro, France
Obama: One 'Cannot
Praise America Enough'
http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000216.shtml
Le
Monde, France
Regardless of Who Wins, the American
Exception is Eternal
http://worldmeets.us/challenges000001.shtml
Le
Monde, France
American
Elections: Cause for Hope and for Disappointment
http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000176.shtml
Le
Monde, France
'Obamania Sweeps France'
http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000175.shtml
Liberation,
France
Obama: 'A Man
Who Will Restore America's Image in the World'
http://worldmeets.us/liberation000102.shtml
Liberation,
France
If Barack
Obama Becomes U.S. President …
http://worldmeets.us/liberation000103.shtml
Le
Figaro, France
Democrats
in France Impassioned Over Party Primary Race
http://worldmeets.us/lefigaro0000194.shtml
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany
'Lincoln,
Kennedy, Obama'
http://worldmeets.us/frankfurterrundschau000020.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Obama's
Run: The 'Miracle' of America that Could Change the World
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000060.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Clinton
and Obama - Please Stop Them!
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000059.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
2008
a High-Stakes U.S. Election Year for Europe
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000048.shtml
Financial
Times Deutschland, Germany
Hillary's
Quest: Between Tears and the Throne …
http://worldmeets.us/financialtimesdeutschland000050.shtml
La Stampa, Italy
At
Parade of Blacks, Boos for Hillary and Applause for Obama
http://worldmeets.us/lastampa000013.shtml
Diario Economico, Portugal
Definitively,
Barack Obama is the Candidate of Europe …
http://worldmeets.us/diarioeconomico000014.shtml
Diario Economico, Portugal
‘I Got a
Crush on Obama’
http://worldmeets.us/diarioeconomico000012.shtml
THE MIDDLE
EAST [from Arabic]
Al
Gomhuria, Egypt
Can a
Muslim-Born Negro Be America's President? ...
http://worldmeets.us/algomhuria000007.shtml
AFRICA
[English]
The Daily Nation, Kenya
Why Africa Exults at Obama's Victory
http://worldmeets.us/dailynationka000005.shtml
Liberal,
Cape Verde
Obama: Good Luck Handling the
'Pitfalls'
http://worldmeets.us/liberal000001.shtml
This
Day, Nigeria
How
Far Can Obama Go?
http://worldmeets.us/thisday000003.shtml
Business Day, South Africa
Why
American Blacks May Be Obama's Great Problem
http://worldmeets.us/buisinessdaysa000001.shtml
LATIN
AMERICA [from Spanish]
BBC Brasil, Brazil
Obama's Victory: Reason to Believe in a Better World ...
http://worldmeets.us/bbcbrazil000003.shtml
Folha, Brazil
The
U.S. Presidential Election: The Greatest Show on Earth …
http://worldmeets.us/folha000004.shtml
Los Andes, Argentina
'Se Puede!'
http://worldmeets.us/losandes000002.shtml
Excelsior, Mexico
With Either Hillary or Obama, 'We All Win' ...
http://worldmeets.us/excelsior000011.shtml
El Tiempo, Colombia
What
Barack Obama Says About the United States …
http://worldmeets.us/eltiempo000045.shtml
El Tiempo, Colombia
What
Hillary Clinton Shows About the Status of Women
http://worldmeets.us/eltiempo000046.shtml
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US June 7, 2:23pm]
