This post was written by Transatlantic Media Network Intern Cecily Boggs
The European media have given a cautious, and frequently critical, welcome to President-elect Barack Obama's nomination of his foreign policy and security team, and particularly his choice his defeated rival Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. Many commentators asked whether such a well-known and traditionalist team constituted the kind of change that Obama had promised during the election campaign and wondered whether Obama or Clinton would really be running U.S. foreign policy.
Many also noted Obama's promise to restore America's international standing, and U.S. world leadership, although some questioned whether his foreign policies would be good for Europe. The leading, leftist French newspaper Le Monde predicted transatlantic difficulties over Obama's policies on Afghanistan and Iran, and warned that, with the passing of George Bush, Europeans would lose one of their best excuses for distancing themselves from the United States.
Three names, no program, Suddeutsche Zeitung, December 2 2008
Stefan Kornelius, the newspaper's Foreign Editor, says that America no longer has a coherent doctrine. The country has relied too much on hard power (military force) and too little on soft power. "As a candidate, Obama used the right vocabulary: preventive diplomacy, reconstruction, integration, and conviction," Kornelius says. "But the three leaders of his security team represent a classic, realistic school of foreign policy, which pervades all camps in the United States and especially stresses the need for strength." Although Obama's rhetoric promised a positive change from the traditional realistic view, his nominations represent the mindset of the 20th century. Kornelius adds that there are concerns as to whether Hillary or Obama will be running foreign policy.
Barack Obama's team will repair America's international standing, The Daily Telegraph, December 1 2008
Columnist Con Coughlin writes that Obama's announcement of his proposed national security team sends a loud and clear message that the new administration is determined to repair America's battered reputation around the world.
Obama gambles on Hillary Clinton, The Financial Times, December 1 2008
In an editorial on the nomination of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, the FT says the main question is whether Clinton can subordinate not just her opinions but also her political ambitions to making the Obama administration a success.
Obama and Europe, Le Monde, December 2 2008
This editorial says the lack of new faces in Obama's cabinet nominations runs contrary to what might have been expected from a candidate who promised change. His diplomacy will be different from that of George Bush, but his nominations suggest that, rather than a sharp break with the past, U.S. foreign policy will return to an earlier tradition of centrism and bipartisanship.
This is not necessarily good news for Europeans, who will lose an excuse for distancing themselves from the United States. The new administration won't offer Europe any gifts , it will, for example, give priority to American companies for public contracts – and at the same time it will demand more of Europeans.
Le Monde says Afghanistan will be the first test of European good will toward the new administration, and asks whether Europe will be able to resist pressure from Obama to increase contributions of personnel to the war. The Europeans are also worried that bilateral negotiations between Washington and Tehran would obstruct their own efforts to persuade Iran to renounce nuclear weapons.
"Finally, Mr. Obama has unambiguously proclaimed his determination to restore American leadership without mentioning the multipolar world so cherished on this [the European] side of the Atlantic."
Re-educating Hillary, The Times of London, December 2 2008
In an editorial, the paper says that as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will have to subordinate her world view to that of Obama; she will have to rein in her husband; and she will have to shelve any presidential aspirations of her own that she may still harbor.
Strength and Experience, The Independent, December 2 2008
In an editorial on Barack Obama's national security appointments, the paper says the very fact that Obama is prepared to appoint a team of such strong and experienced figures suggests a self-confidence that bodes well.
The only boss? Obama?, Le Journal de Dimanche, December 2 2008
Nicole Bacharan asks in her blog whether the presence of numerous members of the former Clinton administration in Obama's team contradicts the change he promised during the election campaign. She describes Obama's choices as understandable, because he is very centrist and agrees with Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on a number of foreign policy issues. Bacharan says that unlike former President Jimmy Carter, Obama is not naïve enough to appoint a cabinet of inexperienced personnel.
She concludes that Clinton will never be president, and that Bush is leaving in the only manner he can with any dignity. She defines Bush's presidency in these terms: "All his presidency has been founded on the refusal of auto criticism, the refusal to look back."
Learn from Hillary, Tageszeitung, December1 2008
Ines Kappert begins this feminist commentary by stating that Clinton's loss to Obama in the Democratic primaries was viewed by many women as an affirmation of society's bias toward males: "When in doubt, the "woman' handicap weighs so much that even in a racist society like the U.S., a black man gets the advantage. The ultimate decisive factor fell out of sight: namely that Obama's campaign team worked perfectly. Conversely, Clinton's over-cautious team underestimated its opponents."
Kappert says that Clinton is a good role model for ordinary women, who want to have influence, but tend simply to give up fighting the system when they are ignored or make mistakes. "Clinton has chosen another strategy: Women who want to achieve their goals must fight through setbacks as if they were no more than bad weather."
Kappert argues that the main two personal characteristics that lead to success are humility and enormous self-confidence. She says Clinton has displayed both characteristics , few people, for example, can survive the distress caused by a husband who cheats on them in front of the world; or lose to a rival and then become his partner.
