Aragorn
11-07-2008, 09:24 PM
With hopes of more cooperation among allies, a more ambitious attitude toward climate protection and less aggressive rhetoric, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her administration have great expectations for Barack Obama. But no one should expect a new era of permanent harmony.
Like many of her fellow Germans, Chancellor Angela Merkel learned of Barack Obama's election victory in the early hours of the morning, when it was reported on television. "Of course, I was following the whole thing until it was time to go to bed," Merkel said on Wednesday at the Chancellery. She also woke up a few times during the night to "check on things" before going back to sleep, she said.
By the time Merkel got up in the morning, it was clear that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States. The chancellor is unlikely to have been surprised by the news, since recent polls had the first black US presidential candidate leading his Republican rival by a significant margin. Early on Wednesday morning Obama was already receiving congratulatory messages from Berlin's political elite, starting with German President Horst Köhler, followed by Merkel and Vice Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Merkel met Obama for the first time in July, when the Democratic presidential candidate came to Berlin and spoke to more than 200,000 people in front of the city's Victory Column. On Wednesday she invited him to Germany for an official visit, and wished him "enjoyment in his work, strength and the necessary luck."
Obama and Merkel -- do they get along? It's well known that current President George W. Bush had a good working relationship with the chancellor, despite differences over climate policy and questions relating to global financial markets. But Merkel is unlikely to forget the neck massage Bush gave the shocked chancellor during the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg two years ago.
Obama's reserved style is more likely to suit Merkel's disposition than Bush's occasional rough-and-ready demeanor. During his brief visit to the Chancellery in July, conversation between the two politicians seemed friendly. The chemistry between Merkel and Obama seemed to be in order, despite some friction over the Obama team's initial choice of the Brandenburg Gate as the site of his speech -- and Merkel's rejection of the idea because of the landmark's symbolism.
Further reading:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,588853,00.html
Like many of her fellow Germans, Chancellor Angela Merkel learned of Barack Obama's election victory in the early hours of the morning, when it was reported on television. "Of course, I was following the whole thing until it was time to go to bed," Merkel said on Wednesday at the Chancellery. She also woke up a few times during the night to "check on things" before going back to sleep, she said.
By the time Merkel got up in the morning, it was clear that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States. The chancellor is unlikely to have been surprised by the news, since recent polls had the first black US presidential candidate leading his Republican rival by a significant margin. Early on Wednesday morning Obama was already receiving congratulatory messages from Berlin's political elite, starting with German President Horst Köhler, followed by Merkel and Vice Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Merkel met Obama for the first time in July, when the Democratic presidential candidate came to Berlin and spoke to more than 200,000 people in front of the city's Victory Column. On Wednesday she invited him to Germany for an official visit, and wished him "enjoyment in his work, strength and the necessary luck."
Obama and Merkel -- do they get along? It's well known that current President George W. Bush had a good working relationship with the chancellor, despite differences over climate policy and questions relating to global financial markets. But Merkel is unlikely to forget the neck massage Bush gave the shocked chancellor during the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg two years ago.
Obama's reserved style is more likely to suit Merkel's disposition than Bush's occasional rough-and-ready demeanor. During his brief visit to the Chancellery in July, conversation between the two politicians seemed friendly. The chemistry between Merkel and Obama seemed to be in order, despite some friction over the Obama team's initial choice of the Brandenburg Gate as the site of his speech -- and Merkel's rejection of the idea because of the landmark's symbolism.
Further reading:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,588853,00.html