Reflecting a European public opinion largely favorable to Barack Obama, one can breathe a sigh of relief the day after his reelection.
But, unlike in 2008, there should be little illusion about his engagement in Europe because while he has done nothing disqualifying, he has also not met the expectations raised four years ago.
Obama had been celebrated on the Old Continent as a messiah of the White House, as the most European and most Western of the candidates, as “one of ours.”
Four years later, Obamania appears to be the lesser of two evils.
Europe would do well to understand, and the sooner the better, that during his second term, Obama will focus even less on the world’s progress and even more on America’s national interest.
However, the victory of a candidate who embodied financial savagery would have been less helpful in finding a solution to the crisis. Europe, considered by Romney as a haven of socialists, has no reason to pop the champagne but can be content with a sigh of relief.
The reelected President of the United States will have an unavoidable task: “Reviving growth,” as he repeatedly stated across the country during his electoral campaign.
Economic and commercial ties have transformed the Atlantic into a large economic basin; it remains for Europe to know how to implement appropriate policies to reap the best benefits.
