Judging from this op-ed by Franco Venturini of Italy’s Corriere della Sera, despite the adulation felt for Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, it could be rough sledding for the President when he visits Europe for the first time since taking office next week.
Franco Venturini writes in part:
“Celebrated with enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic, Barack Obama’s honeymoon with his European allies is at risk of becoming as short as it is passionate. In just a few days, America’s new president comes to Europe for the first time to participate in a series of summits. Let us expect, and we’re certainly not going to complain about it, solemn reaffirmations of ancient bonds, great displays of friendship and warm promises of cooperation. After the support that almost all Europeans have shown Obama, it couldn’t possibly be otherwise. But behind the facade of perfunctory smiles there lurks a deep and acrimonious dissent that no one could have predicted in sunnier days.”
By Franco Venturini
Translated By Enrico Del Sero
March 21, 2009
Italy – Corriere della Sera – Original Article (Italian)
Celebrated with enthusiasm on both sides of the Atlantic, Barack Obama’s honeymoon with his European allies is at risk of becoming as short as it is passionate. In just a few days, America’s new president comes to Europe for the first time to participate in a series of summits, from the G-20 in London to the NATO Council in Strasbourg to a formal meeting of the E.U. in Prague. Let us expect, and we’re certainly not going to complain about it, solemn reaffirmations of ancient bonds, great displays of friendship and warm promises of cooperation.
After the support that almost all Europeans have shown Obama, it couldn’t possibly be otherwise. But behind the facade of perfunctory smiles there lurks a deep and acrimonious dissent that no one could have predicted in sunnier days.
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