Berlin.
With Obama, lightness returns to Berlin. A feeling that hardly any other US President triggered – certainly not Biden.
Politics is an extremely difficult business these days. All of Germany is discussing how much a new heating system costs. And the world is wondering if the next phase of the Ukraine war will only get worse. But there is another way. In the midst of war and crises, the former is touring US President Barack Obama through Europe.
10,000 people want to listen to him in Zurich, 17,000 in Berlin. Dinner with ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), lunch with successor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The interest in each of his steps is huge. And there are four reasons for that.
Obama in Berlin: Why is there such a hype about the ex-president?
First: In these dark times, the world longs for lightness, for a feel-good guy like the American. The 61-year-old is sporty, fit and cool.
Secondly: Obama stands for motivation – that everything is possible. During the 2008 election campaign, he electrified his compatriots by shouting “Yes we can”. Obama started a wave that carried him into the White House as the first black man.
Third: The ex-president’s relaxed attitude is the opposite of the current players on the world stage: every time Obama’s successor, Joe Biden, feels his way down the railing of the gangway after a long flight, many in the West catch their breath.
Fourth: Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is an imperialist who will stop at nothing, China’s head of state Xi Jinping is a mask-like one power politician. Obama, on the other hand, comes across as a political rock star who is a pleasure to watch.
Yes, one can dream for a moment. But don’t let Obama nostalgia get you completely carried away. It is also a fact that with the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, the ex-president created breeding ground for the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS). All that glitters is not gold.
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