Main focus of Thursday, November 6, 2008

Great expectations

After celebrating Barack Obama's election as 44th president of the United States, the European press now has great expectations. Obama must lead the US out of the financial crisis, and above all improve relations with Europe and the world. But we must beware of excessive europhoria, the papers write.

Jyllands-Posten - Denmark

Obama faces a series of formidable challenges, writes Jyllands-Posten newspaper: "The president-elect has not yet officially taken office, and already he must get a grip on the economy. He must initiate a responsible withdrawal from Iraq and respect civil rights. At the same time the US should reaffirm its leadership role and make good on its claim to superpower status. The world is waiting for a new energy policy and responsible action on global warming. The Americans are expecting that everyone will be included in the health insurance system and that the gaps in social welfare will be filled. The list of problems goes on and on, and no one can solve them alone. For that reason it is heartening that after his defeat John McCain has offered his cooperation." (06/11/2008)

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Postimees - Estonia

The daily newspaper Postimees asks what turn US foreign policy will take: "For us Estonians and all Europeans the direction the US takes in this area is particularly important. The miscalculations of George W. Bush in the Middle East have gobbled up hundreds of billions in taxpayers' money, and the only result has been a dangerous amount of damage to the US's credibility. Therefore restoring confidence will be one of the first tasks facing the new captain. Since the end of the Cold War the world has become increasingly multi-polar, even if this loss of their former hegemony is painful for many Americans." (06/11/2008)

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Kathimerini - Greece

According to the Greek daily Kathimerini, Obama must first tackle the economy: "After all, we have seen that in practice it was the economy that gave Obama his victory. ... In 1992 Bill Clinton was elected under the slogan 'It's the economy stupid'. For the second time in 16 years a democratic candidate has won because his economic message gained acceptance. ... Obama must now make good on his promises to implement a progressive economic policy that helps both the working class and the middle class and at the same time preserves the trust of the markets. ... 62 percent of the voters in a survey said that the economic situation was the most important factor behind their decision. Only 10 percent mentioned terrorism or other issues." (06/11/2008)

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Népszabadság - Hungary

Zsold Németh, chairman of the Hungarian parliament's foreign affairs committee, writes in the left-liberal newspaper Népszabadság: "We need the US, especially now that Russia's foreign policy is focussing on a new division of spheres of interest. The true security risk for Central Eastern Europe today is the fragility of the trans-Atlantic alliance. ... Barack Obama's election victory encourages us in believing that this fragility in European-American relations can be overcome. ... The Czech-Polish-American missile defence system, for example, ... sends the political message that the US will remain in the region. ... Let us hope that in Democratic circles those that advocate a phased withdrawal of the US from our region will not gain the upper hand, but that the foreign policy experts from the Clinton era who made possible our Nato accession ... will prevail." (06/11/2008)

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All available articles from » Zsolt Nemeth

Lidové noviny - Czech Republic

"Obama brings change. The Czechs, too, realised this at least a year ago," the conservative daily Lidové noviny writes. "But what impact will this change have on Czech participation in the US's missile defence shield project? Will it affect the Czech EU presidency? Will Obama treat Europe as a united whole or distinguish between old and new Europe? We will have the answers to these questions in January, when as holder of the EU presidency Prague becomes Obama's partner representing Europe as a whole. ... Right now everyone is projecting all their hopes and expectations on Obama. Obama is their Winnetou while they have stepped into the role of Old Shatterhand. We can do business with a 'red gentleman' like this one; we can focus our hopes on him. Welcome, blood brother Obama!" (06/11/2008)

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All available articles from » Zbyněk Petráček

NRC Handelsblad - Netherlands

The business newspaper NRC Handelsblad warns against false hopes: "Expectations are ... high. In Europe as well. Here the election result has been greeted with overt exclamations of relief, even though Obama's programme will claim its share of victims, for example in Afghanistan. But we need realism as well as optimism, because with Obama's presidency new alliances must be forged across the board." (06/11/2008)

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