Obama's Nobel: Paris and Berlin

HEIDELBERG -- The different national responses to the Nobel award shed some light on what may be the reaction when it dawns on people that Obama is not the long awaited American messiah. The French reaction was the classic Gallic shrug -- that expressive gesture that conveys indifference, bemusement, resignation or, occasionally, "that's nice but who cares." The Germans, by contrast, see a confirmation that Obama indeed could be the incarnation of all the American virtues. Their already high hopes have been further uplifted.

Obviously, the inevitable letdown will be more pronounced in Germany than in France. In both countries, there remains a tendency to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. An example from Paris. Back in June, there was a high profile meeting that featured four Middle East experts. They were nearly unanimous in expecting the White House to press the Israelis very hard and in predicting success for the effort. In October, one of the speakers explained the manifest failure in terms of Obama's 'capture' by the Washington culture. So much for ingrained French skepticism.

My correspondence with the Middle East suggests that there is less disillusionment there for the simple reason that they were far less inclined to take Obama at his rhetorical word. Belief in messiahs may be universal; but the annointing in any particular one is culturally determined.

As to the Norwegian Nobel committee's thinking, one interpretation is that it was equal parts Kant and Machiavelli. That is to say, a conviction that peace through reasoned preference for enlightened self-interest along with an attempt to put pressure on Obama to live up to his high-flown words. Hope in Barack Obama springs eternal. Maybe, we'll also get an end to wholesale electronic surveillance.

Comments

[earlyautumn]

I know the Germans fairly well, and speak with relatives in Berlin weekly. They are extremely well informed about what goes on in our country, because the Germans don't consider themselves to be "chosen by God to lead the world" as do so many half-educated members of our congress, and as many, many of our citizens think about the U.S.

They therefore were dismayed, outraged, and in a state of disbelief when George W. was elected our president -- a man who spoke worse English than many native Germans.

They were thrilled at Obama's election, and that the American people finally came to their senses in choosing a leader. They are similarly happy about the Nobel Prize because they view it as verification that the world has changed courses, because the dumb, robot, pawn of the super rich, is no longer in a position to destroy the world.

Contrary to half-wits such as Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc., they recognize that if Obama succeeds, the world will be a better place.

[MosheDayanHero]

The Germans don't consider themselves to be "chosen by God to lead the world"

It is because Germany is not leading anyone, except the European financial markets. And even that is is doubt now.
Where U.S. ( like it or not) is a global empire. With global responsibilities to match.

"the American people finally came to their senses in choosing a leader."
Certainly it is good thing Democrats are back in power. The verdict on Obama's leadership is still open.
Right now Obama is in danger to Bush the Third for seeming inability to make decisions and continuing Bush's failed polices in Iraq, Afghanistan Europe and Middle East.

[MARNIE2]

Obama in his ..lofty thoughts...to his....hau­hty......t­alks while campaiging [trash-talking -bush
polices] HE..him self has to walk a tight rope ......keeping his base happy.....and doing the right
stuff..in keeping ...ALL- AMERICAN'S ...SAFE...JOBS... & LESS TAXES & 2-wars... !
The Rose Garden isn't sssooo rosey when your in the garden looking out ?????

[LMPE]

The Nobel was to remind Obama what the world expects.

[diverssant]

We should seriously re examine the labels "liberal" and "conservative"; the way they are tossed around in the media these days may be convenient for brevity but it is intelectually lazy and further obscures the issues.
What passes for "conservatism" in the US today is nothing but a radical stupidity that seeks to be anti anything that "liberals" stand for. Conservatism should try to preserve, or to go back, to some "better" time by definiton. Well, how far back you wanna go? In the 50's top tax rate under a Republican president was 90%, who warned against the pigs at the trough called the "military industrial complex". That president might have been to the left of Obama! And the so called conservatives love the fifties, I am sure!
The "liberals" can be termed progressives since they generally seek to move society to some better place which may be some post capitalistic world which is, horror, socialism! But many of the liberals ideas are not too liberal--they may be downright anti liberal...

[stuporman]

which is why the old line republicans should part with the social dictators and form a third party with the conservadems so america could have a two party political discourse again.

[VirginiaJeff]

Nobody voted for Obama -- nor cheers Obama on the world stage -- because they think he's the "messiah." We simply are thrilled to have a leader of the United States who is intelligent, thoughtful, reasonably empathetic, and thoroughly professional.

[davidly]

I'm not sure who the Germans are, to whom you refer. On the pedestrian level, the overwhelming response from those I encounter is one that ranges from bemusement to annoyance, to outright umbrage.

Sure, you get the standard line from the "center-right" spectrum of parliament, but the press has been less than fawning, to say the least. Reading an opinion piece from one of Springer's on-line offers, for example, which itself was somewhat pragmatic in its "well, it is just the Nobel Prize, afterall", I couldn't help but notice that the readership response was quite negative.

The run-of-the-mill opinion is that which you get from the disaffected progressive-wing in the US. Here, the attitude that "the new boss is the same as the old boss" has a firm seat in the mind of the intelligencia as well as Joe-Sixpack. The more politically active, the more negative the opinion of US policy.

If you think that the American people are against the Afghan occupation and the socialization of huge capital, then don't think for a minute that the continuity of corporate hegemony is lost on the Germans.

At any rate, I don't see how anyone could interpret the German public as having high hopes vis a vis the current American president at any rate. But then again, you are not going to find many Europeans wearing t-shirts with an image of their leader on it. Fortunately, times have changed. At least over here.

[wheresthebeef]

Shorter "davidly"...We don't have any leaders whose heads will fit on the front of a t-shirt. Boo-hoo.

[SEQUOIABISON]

Liberals do not believe in Messiahs, we believe in strong competent progressive political leaders like Obama and this liberal is certain he will not be disappointed with our new president, in fact I have been ecstatic since November of 2008 and plan to continue admiring him right through his second term.

[Romeover]

You are so right. "Liberals" are not in opposition to "conservatives"; they are in opposition to authoritarians. Only an authoritarian mindset can accommodate a "messiah".

[OldSchoolLiberal]

Yes. The term liberal has changed to be a synonym with left and democrat. I am a liberal because I believe in freedom of ideas, markets and people. This is Capital 'L' liberalism which can be more akin to libertarianism, though that thought is now taken as conservative.

[cfeaux]

Obama's approval ratings in Germany are sky-high. Yet there were quite a number of editorials doubting the wisdom of the Nobel Committee's choice. Now, he gets high scores here in Germany for the remarkable progress he's achieved in these few months.

Especially the cancelling of the missile defence project in Poland and the Czech Republic was universally welcomed in Germany. Germans always considered it a most counterproductive project since it was a clear provokation of Russia. That's why our government declined to have the installations over here. The same applies to the vast majority of European countries.

The wider US-Russian détente is most excellent news and is highly welcomed by us Germans. The French tend to have different foreign policy priorities, so that may explain the somewhat different French outlook. Still, Obama's massively popular across Europe. His presidency presents a huge increase in America's previously highly-diminished "soft power". And that ought to help him get "stuff done".

[wonder6789]

As much as I'd like to feel like the Germans, I think the French are right.

History shows that a healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, not a bad one.

[wonder6789]

As much as I'd like to feel like the Germans, I'm think the French are right.

A healthy dose of skepticism is a good thing, not a bad one.