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Thursday, November 6, 2008
For America, a post-election boost in Europe
What a difference a day makes. Since Barack Obama’s victory, America has gone from being a pariah in Europe to being a most admired nation. In newspaper after newspaper across Europe, politicians, pundits, and writers welcomed America back to the fold this week.
The lead editorial in London’s Guardian newspaper on Thursday was titled “Welcome Back America.” It said that the world has been waiting patiently to welcome America back into the community of nations.
“The Bush doctrine, which gives America the right to secure itself from international threats, must be turned on its head,” it said. “If the threats facing America - terrorism, nuclear proliferation and climate change - cannot be faced by one country alone, international coalitions must be genuine.” It added that: “Eight years of failed foreign policy is enough. Enough lives have been lost, enough countries ruined, by doing things the other way. America, welcome back into the world.”
An editorial in London’s Independent newspaper echoed those sentiments, saying that: “For all the cruelties and prejudices of the past, it speaks well of the United States that such a victory came to pass - or, as the President-elect expressed it with more poetry, the true genius of America is that America can change.”
Berlin’s Der Spiegel newspaper also said that America had rediscovered its political calling. “America has reinvented itself by choosing Barack Obama as its new president in an election that has fanned enormous expectations in America and around the world.”
Overall, Europeans say they are looking to Obama to lead the way on climate change, close down the Guantanamo Bay detention center, and ease America out of Iraq without destabilizing the country. Oh, and they hope he fixes the economy, too.
