UNITED STATES | 31.08.2010

Obama's presidency nears its foreign policy crossroads as criticism grows

Obama's Middle East policy has drawn particular criticism

Barack Obama has seen important domestic issues take precedence over external affairs in recent months. However, while the US president has been dealing with problems at home, his foreign policy has come under criticism.

In his State of the Union address in January, Obama focused mainly on the pressing topic of the global financial crisis, dedicating just a single paragraph to the war in Afghanistan and approximately three lines to Iraq. He reiterated his desire to start pulling US troops out of Afghanistan by July 2011, eventually leaving the country in a state of democratic self-government and security. There was no mention of victory.

He assured those in attendance on Capitol Hill that the US was "responsibly leaving Iraq to its people" and that the US would "have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August." The president addressed the fears of the American people when he concluded his statement on Iraq by saying: "Make no mistake: this war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home."

Another significant foreign policy issue, that of nuclear proliferation - specifically that of Iran - was given a cursory mention. The issue seen as perhaps the most important by consecutive US presidents - peace in the Middle East - was not even addressed.

Obama's Cairo speech ushered in his policy of dialogue

This was in direct contrast to Obama's most important foreign policy speech given at Cairo University in June 2009. The president spoke of a new US policy of dialogue, diplomacy and consensus - a reversal of the previous administration's interventionist approach - but more specifically, he dedicated more time to the issues he would skip over in January. He introduced his commitment to remove troops from Afghanistan and also pledged to pump billions of dollars into infrastructure, education and security.

On Iraq, he announced his commitment to removing all US troops from the country by 2012 and pledged to help rebuild Iraq, leaving the country with the ability to govern, police and provide for its people without US intervention. "We will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron," he said.

Most significantly, Obama addressed the situation between the Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world. While reminding the Cairo audience that the bond between the US and Israel was "unbreakable" he also reaffirmed the US position of supporting a Palestinian state with full sovereign rights. He called on the Palestinians to prove they could govern and to renounce violence and told Israel in no uncertain terms that "the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."

Much has changed since Cairo and Obama's focus has since become dominated by domestic issues such as health care reform and financial regulation, as seen in the priority he gave these topics in his State of the Union speech. However, while he has been fighting for his national agenda at home, the state of his foreign policy objectives have been subject to scrutiny and criticism.

Deteriorating Afghanistan situation weighs heavy on Obama

A 2011 withdrawal from Afghanistan looks very unlikely

The recent Wikileaks scandal, where 90,000 pages of classified material detailing the Afghanistan war were made public online, brought home the reality of the situation on the ground. Far from being in a position to even consider pulling out troops, the security and political environment in Afghanistan appears to be more volatile than ever. It becomes increasingly clear through the leaked documents and testimony from unnamed military sources that the US has grave doubts about the Karzai administration, harbors increasing concerns over the resurgence of the Taliban and faces an potential powder keg situation developing over Pakistan's involvement in the insurgency.

"No-one could expect Obama to solve the situation in Afghanistan in the first two years of his presidency, but the situation has certainly deteriorated in that time, which may or may not have anything to do with Obama's decisions," Thomas Klau, a transatlantic relations expert at the European Council for Foreign Affairs, told Deutsche Welle. "The fact that he has changed his commander there twice and modified the strategy once in two years suggests the mission is not in good shape, and although it's too early to say, this could be an unwinnable war."

"What could haunt Obama is his suggestion that a phased withdrawal of troops could begin in 2011, which looks very unlikely at the moment," he added. "In a year's time, if things are still as bad or even worse, this statement will be shown as being very unwise."

Iraq promises kept but post-US stability looks fragile

As the US leaves Iraq as promised, instability returns

The situation in Iraq looks only marginally better but at least Obama has kept one of his main pledges there. True to his word, he has pulled US combat battalions out of Iraq as promised by the end of August 2010, although around 50,000 still remain in country. The full withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by 2012 seems to be on schedule and the end of the war, at least for the US, looks to be in sight.

But while part of the deal has been honored, some experts suggest Obama's own withdrawal timetable has compromised his promise to leave Iraq in a fit and stable state. As the US steps up its withdrawal, Iraq is in political limbo and the country itself teeters once more on the verge of chaos. Despite this, the president still considers his impact on Iraq to have been successful.

"The Obama administration's foreign policy record is very much a mixed bag," Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, said. "The president can claim credit for revitalizing and refocusing strategy in Afghanistan, although the situation there remains troubled. Also, he can - and has - claimed credit for success in Iraq, despite the fact that his administration's policy is in many ways a holdover of the Bush administration's approach. Beyond that, however, there is little to cheer about."

US seen as a weakened force in Middle East politics

Despite some visible displays, US successes have been few

One of the major failings of Obama's foreign policy to date has been the Middle East peace process. Obama and his team of diplomats have yet to bring Israel and the Palestinians together in face-to-face talks and Israel has only paid lip service to US demands to halt settlement building in Palestinian territory.

"There is, quite clearly, a perception of American weakness - certainly with regard to its approach to the Middle East," Berman said. "This perception, however, has less to do with the state of US-Israeli relations and more to do with Washington's seeming lack of connection with the Arab and Muslim worlds. More than a year after the president's famous Cairo speech promised a 'new beginning' in US relations with the Islamic world, America has failed to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, speak plainly about Islamic radicalism, or project an image of diplomatic resolve in its dealings with the region. All of which has taken a toll on American standing."

"Prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace remain dim, despite US diplomatic efforts, because the White House has ignored the serious systemic problems that exist in the Palestinian territories," he added. "A robust American policy to thwart Iran's nuclear program, meanwhile, remains conspicuously absent."

Crucial period for presidency and foreign policy direction

Obama faces tough elections which could force his hand

With so many minuses in his foreign policy column, the question remains whether President Obama will soldier on with his commitment to engagement or whether he will revert to the interventionist or even isolationist positions of the past. With so much riding on his decision - both domestically and globally - it is a choice he should not make lightly.

"A lot depends on what happens in the mid-term election in the US," said Thomas Klau. "If the Republicans gain a majority in the House or Senate, then this will effectively kill Obama's domestic agenda, leaving international relations as the only real sphere in which he can have any impact. If the Democrats win what would be a surprise success in the elections, then Obama will continue to prioritize domestic issues with only a huge international crisis or event diverting him from that."

Author: Nick Amies

Editor: Michael Knigge

dw

IMMIGRATION | 30.08.2010

Central banker stirs up a storm with controversial book release

Sarrazin took no backward step at the book launch

High-profile banker and Social Democrat, Thilo Sarrazin, has inflamed passions and otherwise created quite a stir with his new book on the ills of German society, which went on sale this Monday.

Sarrazin, a member of the German Central Bank's executive board and a card-carrying Social Democrat, officially launched his book "Deutschland schafft sich ab" ("Germany is doing away with itself") at a press conference in Berlin on Monday.

The controversy erupted after excerpts from the book were published in the mass circulation daily Bild last week.

In a series of interviews with Sarrazin last week also included what many construed as racist comments against Muslims and Jews, causing a storm of controversy.

Sarrazin on Monday repeated his comments on the genes of Jews and Basques. He said "studies show that there are common genetic roots among Jews living today. That is a fact."

He added that this was not to be construed as either positive or negative. He also said Muslims were a drain on European society due to their lower intelligence.

Sarrazin defended himself at the book presentation, saying there was "no value judgement connected with this. It is not a racist statement."

Sarrazin reiterated his beliefs about the threat of Muslim culture to European societies. He told reporters that Germans were in danger of becoming "strangers in their own country" and demanded stronger checks on immigration.

"All political smallmindedness consists of concealing and glossing over what is," he said.

International attention

What began as a slow-boil domestic controversy has since turned into a full-blown uproar, drawing the attention of journalists from further afield.

Camera teams from Turkey and Arab countries arrived in Berlin for the book launch, while newspapers and broadcasters in France, Israel and Britain began commenting on the story.

The increased attention has led the central bank to schedule a meeting with Sarrazin to decide his future after Chancellor Angela Merkel said his remarks were damaging to the reputation of Germany and the bank.

The former Berlin finance senator also said his ideas should be viewed separately from his current role at the central bank, and hit back at the criticism from Chancellor Merkel, questioning whether she even had time to read every page of his book.

SPD moves to expel Sarrazin

Meanwhile, Sarrazin's political party, the Social Democrats (SPD), on Monday said would begin proceedings for the expulsion of their longstanding member over the comments in his new book.

"There is no place for these ideas in the SPD," Ralf Stegner, the SPD chairman in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, told the daily newspaper Tageszeitung. "It would be better if he would resign himself, but I fear that he won't do this."

Sarrazin vowed to fight on while presenting the book. "I am in a people's party and I will stay in a people's party, because I believe that these issues belong in a people's party," he said. He also invited anyone and everyone "to find discrepancies in my analysis."

Protesters called on Sarrazin to "shut up"

At least 150 people gathered outside of the building where the press conference was being held to protest against the book launch.

Author and sociologist Necla Kelek spoke before Sarrazin, defending him, and calling for the book's issues to be discussed openly.

On Monday, the Westdeutsche Zeitung newspaper wrote in an editorial that "even if most enlightened citizens think his comments are politically incorrect, we should not put a positive spin on the problems: There is a lot going wrong with integration in Germany."

Advance orders have already sent the book to the top of the German bestseller list.

Author: Thomas Sheldrick, Gregg Benzow (dpa/AFP/Reuters)
Editor: Chuck Penfold

dw

FESTIVALS | 30.08.2010

Bayreuth Festival closes with tribute to director Schlingensief

The curtain has been drawn on the Green Hill until next summer

The Bayreuth Festival is bound with tradition and founder Richard Wagner's vision for the event. But it closed this year with a tribute to festival innovator Christoph Schlingensief and a glimpse of changes to come.

The 99th Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth closed Sunday with a performance of Wagner's opera "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg."

The performance was dedicated to the provocative German film and theater director Christoph Schlingensief, who staged "Parsifal" at the 2004 festival. His production shocked some fans and was credited with bringing a new impulse to Bayreuth. Schlingensief died of lung cancer on August 21.

Composer Richard Wagner founded the Bayreuth Festival 134 years ago. Since then, his works - 10 operas - have been the sole basis for festival performances. This fact alone makes it clear how important tradition is in Bayreuth.

Tradition and renewal

However, some signs point to change following the era of long-time festival director Wolfgang Wagner, who died early in 2010. His daughters and successors, Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Katharina Wagner, have exhibited both openness and savvy in taking over direction of the festival.

In 2010, the festival continued its media push by offering public viewings and livestreams of selected performances. On August 21, 20,000 viewers came to watch "The Valkyrie" transmitted live from the Festspielhaus to a big screen at a market square in Bayreuth.

Wager-Pasquier assured audiences that Wagner's operas will not be upstaged

According to a survey, 70 percent of the guests had never attended a Wagner opera. While visitors ate sausage, beer and pretzels, they could follow the performance featuring close-ups and subtitles. The opera was also streamed live online and broadcast on Japanese television. The concept will continue next year with German broadcasters presenting "Lohengrin" live from the festival.

"Wagner for Kids" has also established itself as part of the event in Bayreuth. In the project's second year, "Tannhaeuser" was performed in a 70 minute kid-friendly version, targeted at six-to-12-year-olds. The children followed the opera with great interest, and the crowd's favorite was clearly love goddess Venus, who sported a punk outfit and a skateboard.

The beginning of the 2010 season also brought the announcement that an independent commission will receive complete access to the Wagner house archives in order to examine the role of the festival during the Third Reich. But at least one element is not up for discussion.

"It's certain that no other composer will be presented here," said co-director Eva Wagner-Pasquier. "We will of course uphold the vision of the foundation and Wagner house as well as the festival concept itself."

A shock for conservatives

Those who want to attend the Bayreuth Festival generally have to prepare for a long wait. This year brought 408,000 ticket requests from 80 countries for the just 54,000 available seats. It's regarded as a privilege to be in Bayreuth, even for the employees, who often had to work for low pay in previous years.

Changing attitudes toward compensation also mark the beginning of a new era for the festival. Following a salary dispute with stage workers last year, ticket prices had to be raised. Stage workers also succeeded in lobbying for mandatory breaks, which led to a new playing schedule this season. This time, the four operas in the Ring cycle - "The Rheingold," "The Valkyrie," "Siegfried," and "Twilight of the Gods" - weren't played consecutively. That may not seem like a monumental change, but it would have been nearly unimaginable under Wolfgang Wagner's direction and runs counter to the intentions of festival father Richard Wagner.

Many conservative Wagnerians belong to the Society of Friends of Bayreuth, an organization founded in 1949 by Wolfgang Wagner that since its inception has contributed more than 55 million euros ($70 million) to the festival. Following his death, the organization became a festival shareholder with the right to help make decisions related to the event. Disagreements and even public disputes have since erupted between the Society and the festival leadership, which has strongly backed a newly-founded fundraising organization called the Team of Active Festival Supporters.

A year of beautiful voices

Tenor Lance Ryan garnered praise this year in his Bayreuth debut as Siegfried

In their second year heading the festival, Wagner's great-granddaughters Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier were able to fill the operas' ranks with better singers than in recent decades. The much-anticipated debuts included Jonas Kaufmann as Lohengrin, James Rutherford as Hans Sachs, Johan Botha as Siegmund and Lance Ryan as Siegfried. Ryan, a tenor from Canada, has been hailed as unsurpassed in the role.

2010 was the last year of the "Ring" production with director Tankred Dorst and conductor Christian Thielemann. Next year, Thielemann will not conduct the orchestra but still be heavily involved with the event. As musical advisor to the festival, he will have a say in who takes the Bayreuth stage as a vocalist or conductor.

Looking ahead

The 100th Richard Wagner Festival next year will feature a new production of "Tannhaeuser" directed by Sebastian Baumgarten and with Thomas Hengelbrock as conductor. 2013 will also bring a new staging of Wagner's masterpiece, "The Ring of the Nibelung," to mark the composer's 200th birthday. The stage director for that production has yet to be announced, but Kirill Petrenko of Russia is set to conduct the orchestra. Plans are also underway to debut three of Wagner's early operas in Bayreuth ("The Fairies," "The Ban on Love" and "Rienzi"), not in the festival hall but in a tent elsewhere in the town.

Katharina Wagner said her aim is to bring Bayreuth "eventually to the absolute cutting edge of Wagner productions."

Author: Rick Fulker (gsw)

Editor: Kate Bowen

dw

MUSIC | 25.08.2010

'Wagner opened my eyes for other composers,' says Bayreuth conductor

Singers Jonas Kaufmann and Annette Dasch worked together with Nelsons

Conductor Andris Nelsons has been fascinated by German composer Richard Wagner since he was five years old. This year, he took the podium as conductor of Wagner's opera "Lohengrin" at the Bayreuth Festival.

Andris Nelsons is a shooting star in the classical music scene. As the youngest conductor in the history of the Bayreuth Festival, the 31-year-old Latvian has reaped praise from critics across Germany and beyond. This fall, he will see premieres with two of the world's major orchestras - the Berlin and the Vienna Philharmonics. Deutsche Welle spoke with the conductor about his Bayreuth debut.

Deutsche Welle: How do you feel after your first performance this year in Bayreuth?

Andris Nelsons: I'm very excited because it's such a special place and atmosphere. It's a great pleasure to be here; everybody's motivation is just to make the best possible music.

But it's also quite difficult for a conductor in this orchestra pit. Achieving the right balance between the choir, the soloists and the orchestra is hard - especially when conducting pieces that weren't written for Bayreuth.

Have you always been steeped in Wager, or what path led you to his work?

Wagner was actually one of the first composers I got to know - the first opera I saw was "Tannhaeuser" when I was five years old. Ever since then, I've been listening to and analyzing his operas and been in love with his music.

I think starting with Wagner also opened my eyes for other composers. Approaching the philosophical and emotional components of Wagner's music helped me understand many other composers, including Beethoven. Since Wagner was the first I was introduced to, I viewed every other composer from a different perspective.

The young conductor already has an impressive list of engagements

It's been said that you're able to have a kind of empathy with each member of an orchestra. How would you describe the process of bringing together so many different elements when conducting?

That process is what's magical about being a conductor. You're dealing with orchestras and choirs composed of individuals who are each wonderful musicians and who each have their own ideas about how the music should be.

Everybody has an ego - in a good sense. You need an artistic ego to perform music, but you have to focus those egos toward one result.

When the members of an orchestra forget about the global result, it's dangerous, and that's a very real possibility in opera. It should be like a family, though - everyone has a very important place and part in the family. If some member of the family thinks someone else is more important, then it doesn't work.

That seems to relate to Wagner's intentions with Bayreuth - to have people focus on the music and not on themselves. Have you found the Bayreuth setting encourages that artistic ideal?

I agree that there is something special about this place both practically and theoretically. Wagner really is the only star here. For one thing, the audience can't even see the conductor in the orchestra pit, so there's no possibility of the conductor stealing the show.

That means the music starts without applause - it starts from scratch in a way. Everything is set up to be just about music.

There's a mystical quality to being here, which I experienced three years ago in the audience when I was invited to conduct "Lohengrin." Everyone comes to this mountain, and everyone is concentrated on the music. That's particular to Bayreuth, but I wish it were that way everywhere - that the composer would be the one put on the podium.

Nelsons conducted a new production of "Lohengrin" by Hans Neuenfels that was heavy on rodents

Where do think "Lohengrin" stands in Wagner's oeuvre - is it the point where Wagner comes into his own as a composer?

I think one notices that "Lohengrin" is still an early opera in the oeuvre. But Wagner is so clever, and you can feel from the work that he very consciously knows how to use his powers and to manipulate people in writing music. I think Act Two of "Lohengrin" contains one of Wagner's greatest masterpieces. There, he creates the atmosphere so dramatically, and you think, "Everything can be so beautiful in life, if you just make the right decisions." But then, you also know, "No, no, the ending won't be nice."

In Act Two of the opera, you know that the future could be so great, but Wagner knows it will never happen and shows that in the music. It's so sad and so beautiful at the same time.

Interview: Rick Fulker (gsw)

Editor: Kate Bowen

dw