What has been the reaction in the German ‘heartland’ to Obama’s visit – in particular his trip to Nazi death camp Buchenwald, his perceived ‘chemistry’ with Chancellor Angela Merkel and whether Germany should accept Guantanamo detainees?
To find out, Germany’s Financial Times Deutschland took an editorial sampling from 11 smaller, regional newspapers in that country – the equivalents of say the Cleveland Plain Dealer or the Kansas City Star in the United States. For most Americans – they are newspapers never seen or heard.
It’s a fascinating excursion into not only how Germans deal with the legacy of the Nazi regime, but what the president’s brief appearance says about German influence and the issue of whether traveling to Buchenwald was a way of placating Israelis after his speech to Muslims in Cairo.
For example, here’s reaction from one of the eleven, the Kolnische Rundschau [Cologne Review]:
“Obama doesn’t want to give the impression that with all the criticism, he’s revoking the principle of solidarity with the Israelis. The existence of Israel within secure borders in a peaceful environment remains for the Americans – as it does for Germans – a historic commitment. What could better demonstrated that than a visit to the spot [Buchenwald] that was chosen yesterday? From a German perspective, this is a bit unfortunate. The visit put our country in the spotlight of global public opinion. One would have welcomed a more intensive look at the free and democratic Germany of today. As a presidential candidate, Obama had already used Germany once in the past year as a mere backdrop, during his speech at the Victory Column in Berlin.”
GERMAN EDITORIAL ROUNDUP
Translated By Jonathan Lobsien
A visit of grand gestures, but one tied to the past: In Germany, newspaper commentators view President Obama’s visit extremely critically. They are particularly displeased with his non-committal distance.
Germany – Financial Times Deutschland – Original Article (German)
“Leipziger Volkszeitung
[Leipzig public newspaper]
“Merkel has accomplished quite a feat getting along with two U.S. Presidents who could hardly be more different. In this regard, Obama gets the same treatment as Bush. Without bluster, but self-confidently and persistently, the chancellor put forward her positions and defended German interests. Bush never sought help closing Guantanamo, whereas Obama wants to shut it down without sensibly considering the fate of the detainees. Although Obama has graciously called Merkel a friend and Germany an important transatlantic partner, there is also the reverse argument: from good friends, one expects a lot of help, for instance with the military mission in Afghanistan.”
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