Die Welt, Germany

What Europe Can Expect from the Candidates

By Lord George Weidenfeld

Translated by Ron Argentati

February 07, 2008

Germany - Die Welt - Original Article (German)

From Hillary Clinton we can expect that she will continue to maintain contacts with Europe and U. S.-friendly regimes in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Israel, threatened by Al-Qaeda and Iran.  Here she wants to proceed more tactfully than Bush and will try to succeed in the goal nearly achieved by her husband, namely to convince (or even force) the Israelis and Palestinians into a peace settlement.  One should not forget that it was Bill Clinton who played a leading role in the Balkans which led to regime change in Serbia and produced a realignment, albeit a fragile one, in the region.

Among her advisors, European expert Richard Holbrooke, who is very knowledgeable about Germany, and Senator Joseph Biden, are most prominent.  Both are likely to be considered for the position of Secretary of State or some other high-ranking position in the White House.

After several discussions with Barack Obama’s confidantes and independent supporters, one gets a hazy picture of his exact world political ideas and ideals.  He is supported by most of the liberal intelligentsia.  The Kennedy clan pays homage to Obama as the symbol of a younger generation and Jack Kennedy’s spiritual heir.  Still, among those closest to him, one finds radical advocates of a thoroughly altered foreign policy.  Robert Malley, former official in Clinton’s National Security Council, is leading a well-aimed campaign against Israel.  He maintains that at the 2000 Camp David Summit, the Clinton-led negotiations failed not because of Arafat’s veto but basically because of the dishonorable bargaining tactics and hollow promises of then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.  Barack Obama wants to deal directly with Hamas and Hezbollah and also negotiate a new relationship with Iran.

John McCain’s world-view and above all his security policy are clear.  His military career, the five and a half years spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, his survival of a totalitarian regime’s torture chambers, all define the man.  He believes in strengthening and reorganizing NATO and has a positive posture regarding Europe.

I met John McCain and his wife at a meeting in London where I shared a table with them.  I got the impression from both McCains that I was dealing with educated and well-read connoisseurs of European culture and politics.  McCain differs from the Neoconservatives in that he does not share their inflexible compulsion to literally force western democracy on the world.  Actually, one could compare the Neocons with an automobile that has classic-liberal bodywork but is powered by an old Trotskyite engine.  That these elections are being followed with burning interest by the rest of the world is proof that despite America’s losses of reputation, honor, and victory, whatever affects the superpower affects us all.