Seven Days of Obama: ‘Saviors Do Not Exist’ – NRC Handelsblad, The Netherlands

The postmortems on President Obama’s trip through Europe continue to stream in, and true to their usual style, the Dutch are cold-eyed and practical about their conclusions.

This editorial by the NRC Handelsblad, the nation’s leading business newspaper, says in part:

“The reception was reminiscent of the enthusiasm with which Gorbachev was greeted in the Soviet satellite states in the late 1980s. Just as Gorbachev was the personification of an imminent liberation, Obama is now the embodiment of a new expectant multilateralism. … But, like Gorbachev, Obama has little time, as the economic leadership of the United States is in decline. … The American President offers perspective, yes, but not supernatural hope. Saviors do not exist.”

EDITORIAL

Translated By Meta Mertens

April 7, 2009

The Netherlands – NRC Handelsblad – Original Article (Dutch)

On his seven-day tour, Obama has been either cheered or kissed. Even cliché-minded demonstrators didn’t assail the President personally, but took aim at abstractions like “globalization” and “imperialism.” The reception was reminiscent of the enthusiasm with which Gorbachev was greeted in the Soviet satellite states in the late 1980s.

Just as Gorbachev was the personification of an imminent liberation, Obama is now the embodiment of a new expectant multilateralism. This isn’t just metaphor. In London, Obama mediated between China and France, who disagreed on the approach to tax havens. In Strasburg, he reconciled the Turks with [former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh] Rasmussen to be the new secretary general of NATO. [Rasmussen defended the cartoonist who drew a series of cartoons lampooning the Prophet Muhammad].

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