President
Obama bows to Japanese Emperor Akihito: Did he bow
too
low, or was this just a formality unworthy of debate?
Global Geographic Times, People's Republic of
China
The Hidden 'Arrogance'
Behind Obama's Royal Bow
In bowing to
foreign monarchs, including the Saudi king and the emperor of Japan, is
President Obama signaling the inferiority of the United States, or just
'putting on a show'? According Diguo Zhunjiang, who writes for China's
state-controlled Global Geographic Times, Obama's show of respect indicates absolutely
no change in America's 'arrogant strategic thinking.'
While in Tokyo, at noon on
November 14, U.S. President Barack Obama met the Japanese emperor and empress
at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Upon meeting him at the door of the royal
residence, the tall Mr. Obama made an almost 90-degree bow and shook the emperor's
hand. Obama stopped just shy of a deep bow, and shook hands warmly with the emperor
and empress, saying, "it's really an honor to meet you, your majesty."
This wasn't the first time
Obama showed such deference to a royal family. On April 1 at the G20 summit in
London, Obama met with Saudi King Abdullah, shook his hand and bowed [see
picture box, right]. This received wide media coverage and led to vocal
opposition from the American public.
When the head of state of a
superpower bows before a crowned monarch of a small country, it amounts to a
great loss of face and puts the United States on a par with the head of a constitutional
monarchy. What's worse is when such a head of state shows disrespect for the
United States, which is a hard thing for the arrogant masses of the United States to
swallow. An editorial
in the Washington Times accused Obama of "paying obeisance to
kings, emperors, monarchs, sovereigns and assorted other authentic man-made
masters of the universe," in violation of the longstanding American
tradition of not conforming to the tradition of bowing to royalty.
Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US
Another American newspaper
commented, "The U.S. president used a bow to express greater respect for
Islam, but in so doing undermined the strength and independence of the United
States. This traditional act of bowing is only suitable for the king's subjects,
not for persons on an equal footing" [translated quote].
In his recent audience with
the emperor of Japan, Obama started this whole thing all over again. I regard this
as a performance. If we say that his bow upon meeting the Saudi king was a genuine
expression of traditional royal awe by the newly-elected Obama, then we can also
say that this time, his bow was a way of getting back at domestic critics. His
intentions are quite obvious: he wants a change from the cowboy-style arrogance
of his predecessor Bush in order to re-establish the United States as a model
of civility, but on a deeper level, repair the damage that the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars have done to America's image.
Obama's humility, however, doesn't
mean that the U.S. is about to moderate its normal governing style. Since
taking power, Obama has given the impression that there has merely been a shift
in posture. Because as sole superpower, the United States can do nothing that
doesn't appear arrogant - in many ways excessively so.
On the economic front, with
the financial crisis and the serious threat of trade protectionism in the United
States, Obama has ignored strong international opposition and in the course of increasingly
dirty trade disputes, has narrow-mindedly imposed sanctions. On the political
front, there has been no real turning point on the North Korea nuclear issue, the
U.S. withdrawal from Iraq or the situation in Afghanistan, while the trend in
those areas has been toward an intensification of the turmoil. The year 2009
has been one in which a variety of conflicts have broken out: the forces of
terrorism and separatism have grown exceptionally serious, which can only be described
as extremely worrying. Militarily, one can see that Iran, Israel and the Middle
East countries, as well as the emerging territorial and ocean boundary disputes
in Asia - all could trigger conflict, whether American forces are withdrawn or
not.
Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US
President Barack Obama visits China's Great
Wall, Nov. 18.
The U.S. will have to face
these issues as long it's the country of greatest influence. Regardless of how
humble it is in appearance, arrogant strategic thinking is in America's bones
and will continue to be so. So we shouldn't place any hope in this false smile
that has been grafted onto the United States. Rather, we should be more
vigilant.
CLICK HERE OR CLICK PHOTO
FOR BBC COVERAGE OF TRIP'S END 
