Obama Two Years Later: Evaluation and Perspectives after the Congressional Elections

When on November 4, 2008, the U.S. voters elected Barack Obama to become their 44th president, the enthusiasm in Europe was great. After eight years of Bush administration, Europe was longing for a change, a new partnership and expected fundamental change in the U.S. foreign policy. Not every European shared that optimism. Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer predicted that Europeans were likely to be disappointed in their hopes for a fundamental change in U.S. foreign policy, that “it would take a medium-sized political miracle for these hopes not to be disappointed, and such a miracle will not happen – whoever is elected.” (Project Syndicate) It looks as if this ”medium-sized political miracle” will indeed not happen. Not only was European enthusiasm already wearing thin, the recent Congressional elections which produced an overwhelming Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and returned a pencil-thin Democratic majority in the U.S. Senat has caused more disappointment on this side of the Atlantic. What effect will the results of the Congressional elections have on transatlantic relations and cooperation (Afghanistan, Middle East, Iran, climate change) and what are the expectations for the second half of Obama’s presidency?