John McCain on Policy

I came across an interesting article on the Der Zeit website this afternoon which consists of the German newspaper interviewing John McCain, the Republican Presidential candidate from 2008. In this interview, he discusses his views of current affairs between Egypt and Israel, Syria and more locally, America. What I was surprised by as I read the article was not so much what they talked about, but rather what they didn't say. Admittedly, I'm not the most politically aware human being in America, not even close. But I was interested to see that McCain didn't seem to blame Obama or democrats for anything, but rather just expressed hope that they would make good decisions from here on out. He also admitted weakness in the republican party by agreeing that they have largely underestimated the effects of demographic shifts on their policies. Needless to say, this was not at all what I was expecting to see when I read the article. 

Looking at the article, McCain says that Americans are tired of war and would rather not send ground troops into more war. I can agree with that statement, although I am unsure about the "no-fly zone". Again, I am not the best-informed person in this area, but I don't see how that would necessarily help anything. Thoughts? Does McCain make good points in his discussion of foreign relations? Or is he just saying what the interviewers wanted to hear?

European Leaders React to Obama's Re-Election

In light of Tuesday's election I thought I'd post a gallery of quotes from European leaders about Obama's Re-election. Most European leaders were pleased with Obama's Re-election, saying that he shared many of the same foreign policy values as Europe and had more similar ideals than a right wing president would have. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she is pleased that Germany and the U.S. can continue to work together and overcome foreign and economic challenges as friends and allies. European Parliament President Martin Schulz said that the U.S. and the EU had much more that unites them than what separates them. 

   

German President Joachim Gauck also said that the U.S. and Germany were "charged with taking on the global challenges and threats to freedom, peace, prosperity and threats to our environment." This quote is particularly interesting because it highlights Germany's concern with the environment, particularly climate change, and their continued pressure on the U.S. to take more action in terms of the environment.  

German disillusionment with Obama administration seated in violence and lack of environmental change

                                               Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Jim Young

In this article from Der Spiegel, author Bruce Stokes analyzes the changing German political view of the Obama administration. As election season encloses upon U.S. citizens, Germans are beginning to worry about the promises with which they believe Obama has not followed through.

Their grievances include Obama's use of military drones and perpetuated violence in the Middle East as well as disappointment regarding the President's failure to implement his promised environmental policies to combat global warming.

With such concerns about the President's potential reelection, only 49 percent of Germans aged 50 and older and 61 percent with Germans aged 19-28.

Do you think these are fair criticisms? Let's discuss in the comments!

—Ana Sofia Knauf