Criticism, nostalgia as Obama leaves office

13 Jan, 2017 - 00:01 0 Views
Criticism, nostalgia as Obama leaves office

The ManicaPost

LONDON. – As Obama marked the end of his era as US president with his farewell address on Tuesday, he had the world’s attention one last time. At least in most places.

Reactions varied from one Kenyan newspaper describing Obama taking the stage amid a “hero’s welcome,” to an Israeli paper called him the “worst US president.”

With the focus shifting toward President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, there was a notable absence of official reactions in countries where Obama has become notoriously unpopular such as Israel. Elsewhere, in Europe, Obama’s good bye was still front page news. There was a particular focus on the president wiping away his tears – possibly because many Europeans have reacted with nostalgia to the end of the era of a president they did not necessarily always agree with, but could at least identify themselves with.

That sentiment was shared in other countries already weary of Trump long before impending inauguration, including China.

It was Obama who spoke on Tuesday, but the world cared most about what he said about his successor. Trump was never Europe’s first choice. In a survey conducted last spring, only 6 percent of respondents in Germany, France, Britain, Denmark, Finland Norway and Sweden said they were in favour of the president-elect. Nearly half of all respondents stated they were “afraid” of him.

In Russia, where criticism of Obama’s era has been the sharpest, reactions to the speech were largely overshadowed by reports that Russia may have compromising information on Trump. “It’s the number one topic and it dwarfs even the farewell speech of Obama,” journalist Tikhon Dzyadko wrote in business newspaper Kommersant while acknowledging that the speech was more emotional than expected.

Like other Russian media outlets, Izvestia, a high-circulation newspaper, noted Obama’s use of the word “rivals” to describe both China and Russia in his speech. Russian officials have continually criticised the Obama Administration for bringing relations between the two countries to their lowest ebb in decades.

In France, elegiac coverage of Obama’s speech jostled with fresh revelations that intelligence agencies were investigating uncorroborated reports of Trump’s ties to Russia.

Parisians always saw Obama’s cool style as akin to their own, even as anti-immigrant politicians have surged in France’s presidential race this spring.

“Whether he intended it or not, Obama drew a striking contrast between the philosopher president who is leaving and the populist president who is coming,” the Parisian Figaro newspaper wrote. “For his farewells, he gave a real lesson in political philosophy, sometimes reaching heights where, no doubt, few of his fellow-citizens can follow. And this is partly the problem at the origin of the radical change of style and substance that is coming.”

“Rather than defend his record, the outgoing president talked about the state of American democracy on Tuesday in Chicago,” liberal newspaper Le Monde commented. “He painted the portrait of a country that is deeply divided.”

In neighbouring Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Germany, Obama’s departure is expected to have a strong impact, as well. In a survey last spring, 84 percent of Germans said they were satisfied with President Obama.

Merkel once prohibited Obama from giving a speech at the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, before he was elected. Their working relationship, however, later evolved into one of the strongest transatlantic partnerships.

Merkel has become one of Trump’s most influential critics internationally. In a statement following his election, she offered to work with him based on the rule of law and respect. Her remarks were widely perceived as implying that Trump had so far lacked such respect.

In agreement with Merkel’s criticism, German weekly Die Zeit referred to Obama’s speech as the remarks of a “constitutional lawyer and his defence of the democratic idea and the American dream.”

“One last time, Obama tried to unify the country in a rhetorical act of strength and to find a way out of the political and societal dead end,” the paper wrote on Wednesday.

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May has so far refrained from making harsh criticism of Trump, possibly because her country hopes to be favoured by Trump as it prepares to leave the European Union.

“British views of Obama became more polarised following his intervention last year into the EU referendum debate, but he is leaving on a broadly high note,” said Jacob Parakilas, a transatlantic relations expert at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.

“While most British observers can find objectionable elements, large or small, of Obama’s legacy, very few are optimistic about Donald Trump – which has tinged many observations of Obama’s presidency with nostalgia even before he leaves office,” said Parakilas.

Conservative British newspaper The Telegraph also looked back at Obama’s legacy as an era that could soon be missed on Wednesday: “Unlike Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and so many others before him, this is a president unblemished by scandal.”

Many Israelis would likely disagree. A front page headline in Israel’s most widely circulated daily, Israel Hayom, summed up the feeling: Barack Obama, the worst US president in history.

“History will view Barack Obama as one of the worst US presidents ever. A president with good intentions but with terrible results,” wrote Boaz Bismuth, the newspaper’s foreign news editor.

The paper, which is distributed freely, is owned by American casino magnate and super Republican donor Sheldon Adelson – a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There was no official Israeli response to Obama’s farewell speech, reflecting an overall government sentiment that it is wise to hold off until January 20, the day Trump steps into the White House.

Hours before his speech in Chicago, Israeli investigative news show, Uvda (Fact), aired a pre-recorded interview with the out-going president. It focused mainly on the US decision last month to abstain from an anti-Israeli settlement resolution in the United Nations Security Council.

The US decision to abstain, instead of using its veto powers in the council, allowed the resolution, which calls Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal and a barrier to peace with the Palestinians, to pass. The move by the Obama administration drew sharp criticism Israelis and was seen as a betrayal by Israeli leaders. Netanyahu called the resolution “shameful.” He said Israel had evidence that Obama orchestrated the resolution, which was initially submitted by Egypt.

In his interview on Israeli television, Obama said that he could not understand the “sense of betrayal” felt by Israelis. “Those kinds of statements do not have basis in fact but deflect attention from the issue of Israeli settlements,” he said.

In China, Obama’s farewell speech generated some interest but was also dwarfed by talk of Trump.

Though many Chinese initially thought Trump, as a businessman, might bring a calm, pragmatic touch to US-China ties, his comments and tweets as president-elect have raised questions about his fitness for office and his stance on hot-button issues like Taiwan.

As Obama took to the stage, one Communist Party-controlled newspaper known for its strident nationalism – and occasional anti-foreign screeds – offered an almost nostalgic goodbye to the “restrained” US president.

Under the Obama administration, there have been “up and downs” the piece said, with downs related to the “pivot to Asia,” tension in South China Sea and cyber-warfare.

But there were ups: cooperation on climate change, for one – and also the president himself.

“Obama’s personal appeal earned him a good reputation in the world’s most populous nation compared to many of his predecessors who took a tough stance on China,” the piece said.

The paper worried that will change. “Experts believe,” it concluded, “that Obama’s successor, President-elect Donald Trump, will create more thorny issues for China after assuming power next week.”

Similar fears were echoed in Latin America and Africa. In Kenya, The Star newspaper’s main headline reflected what many there might hope for: “Obama supporters ask for ‘four more years’ as he bids farewell.” – The Washington Post.

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