Is Secretary of State John Kerry uniquely qualified for steering America’s Asia pivot back toward the Old Continent? For Der Tagesspiegel, Christoph von Marschall writes that Kerry’s life history and familiarity with Europe makes him the E.U.’s ‘s best bet for reminding Americans where most of their bread is buttered.
For Der Tagesspiegel, Christoph von Marschall, lays out why Kerry is good for Europe:
He cannot shape U.S. public opinion to the degree the president can. The days when Berlin was a divided city, hub of a divided continent and thus of American global politics will never return.
But thanks to his personal interest and experiences, Kerry can help clear up some common misconceptions. Many Americans overestimate the importance of Asia and underestimate that of Europe. Most of them have heard of the dynamism and growth rates in the Pacific, but only a few know that the exchange of goods, services, and investments across the Atlantic is much greater, and that more jobs depend on it.
In Asia, the opportunities are shrinking and the risks are growing. Growth rates are declining, while border disputes and domestic conflicts within each nation are on the rise. In Europe the trend is the reverse.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US