The 2009 Transatlantic Trends survey is out and guess what? Europeans love Barack Obama. I kid you not. They love the guy. The survey, organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, among other foundations, was conducted between June 9 and July 1 and covers 11 European nations, both in the east and the west, along with the U.S. and Turkey. The total sample came to 13,095. So maybe this isn’t breaking news. (I am reminded of a Berlin woman who told an FDP politician that she didn’t expect Obama to be perfect-just to solve the world’s crises.) But the results are fascinating (frightening?). For instance, where Bush had a 12 percent approval rating in Germany, Obama enjoys a rating of 92 percent, the highest of any country (only 90 percent of the French like Obama). The lowest approval rating, 50 percent, was found in Turkey (though it rated Bush at 8 percent). Seventy-five percent of Europeans are confident Obama will capably fight international terrorism (whereas the U.S. number is 45 percent). For some reason, the survey failed to ask if Europeans consider Obama to be a god or a demigod. The results would have been interesting. But if you look a bit deeper, there is a definite divide between the Western and Eastern Europeans (leading some to compare the West and East to the blue and red states, respectively). Over 80 percent of Western Europeans have confidence in Obama handling the Middle East, whereas only 54 percent of Eastern Europeans feel that way. There are also looming contradictions with U.S. policies (at least as they now stand): Majorities throughout Europe desire a reduction or withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Only 30 percent of Americans agree. Nearly 50 percent of Europeans favor increasing diplomatic pressure on Iran and ruling out any military option. In short, the level of adoration for the current administration can’t possibly last-unless, of course, the president changes his positions to match the sympathies of the Europeans. (On an interesting sidenote, while Europeans are generally concerned about climate change-Portugal and Germany express the highest concern-only 23 percent of the Netherlands is “very concerned.” Perhaps living below sea level for so long has made them immune to such fears.)
