The possible victory for Obama in the 2008 US presidential elections may perhaps be the beginning of a peaceful "marriage" between the US and France. Statiscs conducted by TNS Sofres-Logica on October 8, 2008 show that the overwhelming majority of the French "have a crush on" Barack Obama, with only five percent viewing John McCain favorably. The election of Barack Obama is seen by the French as the rebirth of the Frenchmen's ideal of what America should be and the election of John McCain is seen as the continuation of the Bush administration the world, especially France, despises. Sarkozy notably far more different than Chirac, and what some might call an Americanophile, is quoted to have saying "Obama is my buddy." Indicitive of the general opinion of France, even though the two may seem like an unlikely match, it is clear that if Obama is elected to become the next US President it would be favorable for Sarkozy international-relation-wise bridging together the bitter Freedom Fries vs French Fries gap during the Bush Administration.
Laura K.
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3 comments:
Hey Laura,
An interesting point. It seems to me that when Sarkozy was elected the same kind of chatter was going on. He met immediately with Bush and everyone assumed that relations would flourish. Is this the real dream team, or do more changes need to be made?
John
There is no doubt that Westerners really would like to see Obama become the next US President. Most certainly it (his presidency) would heal broken relations and make strong existing relations with other countries, all this despite his race. Not that I mean to sound negative, but I guess that somehow Europeans have been able to overlook that barrier of race and are more willing to accept Barack Obama as the first US President of colour unlike others in the US. Having said this, I think we should pause and consider for a moment if Obama's tremendous support from Europeans is as a result of his "freshness"-"a new wave" kind of politician or perhaps it could as a result of strong dissatisfaction with a Bush administration that basically alienated it's traditional friends for the last eight years.
Jenai T
Hi Laura,
I would have to agree with John. There will be a definite honeymoon period but after that the reality is that Obama is the American President and Sarko the French, they could well turn out to be worlds apart
Andre B.P.
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