ACCORDING to a news report on Monday, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez believes that President-elect Barack Obama befouls his nostrils with the same “stench” as did outgoing President George Bush. This outrageous statement continues the pattern of disrespect shown by the South American leader towards the United States, which he derisively refers to as “the empire.” He had previously referred to Bush as “the devil” and suggested that his presence leaves behind the smell of “sulfur.” While Chavez is merely the loudest and most infantile of the world leaders that harbor grudges towards our nation, his comments ought to serve as a wake-up call for all those who thought that the inauguration of Barack Obama would cause world leaders to suddenly realize all their misconceptions about the United States. Though Bush might have been an added annoyance to some leaders, the grievances other nations hold with the United States stem not from the face of the United States but from its core beliefs. As it is unlikely that these will change dramatically during the Obama administration, we should similarly not expect drastic change in America’s world popularity.
Chavez’s comments illustrate this well. The statement came in response to Obama’s decision to continue the Bush policy of considering Chavez a friend to the Colombian rebel group FARC. FARC has caused significant problems for the legitimate Colombian government, a stalwart ally of the United States in South America. Strong evidence has linked Chavez to FARC, including incriminating evidence taken from a captured laptop suggesting that Chavez had helped arrange arms deals and training for the rebels. Obama, in continuing to treat Chavez as a disruptive force in a vital region, did nothing surprising or controversial. He merely reaffirmed a policy supported by most Americans. But this was enough to draw the ire of the Venezuelan president. Thus we can see that simply by upholding policies that to Americans are not controversial, even our new commander in chief will not be able to change the minds of the staunchest of America’s enemies.
It also seems unlikely that the transition from Bush to Obama will do much to change the feelings of the various terror organizations arrayed against our country. Obama has promised to continue the war on terror, if not its extension to Iraq. He must do this because fundamentally the fight against those have attacked our country and would gladly do so again is a policy on which Americans are united. With the exception of those on the very farthest fringes of the left and small pacifist or isolationist groups, Americans support the decision to seek out and eliminate those who seek harm for our country, even if they do not agree on the means by which the war on terror is conducted. Obama frequently referred to his desire to find Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice during the campaign; is this attitude, shared by all Americans, calculated to win us any friends in al-Qaeda? Rather, Obama’s continued support for the war on terror will earn him the same goodwill Bush got from the terrorists: none.
Will Obama sweeten the image of the United States in the eyes of Vladimir Putin? It seems unlikely. Obama may kowtow to Putin’s wishes and back off on the Eastern European missile shield, but will this make Putin appreciate America more? In his Cold War mindset the United States is a rival, whether a strong one or a compliant one, and Barack Obama will not likely make him see things differently.
Where can Barack Obama make a difference? The election season demonstrated that he is wildly popular in Europe — Germans turned out in prodigious numbers to see him speak, and European leaders seem to adore him. There he can do some good where the international image of George W. Bush had frayed relations. But these are just the disappointed friends, not the hard-core haters of the United States. So while Obama can certainly help patch things over in Europe, this does not reflect on his ability to aid United States relations with those who patently dislike us.
Reactions to Obama in the Middle East have been mixed; a sampling of editorials from Middle Eastern newspapers by the BBC suggests that the area is treating him cautiously, looking to see if he will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. If he deals with them more softly, as they hope, there is the chance to forge more solid relationships. Certainly they are optimistic, but the question is one of policy, not personality.
Though he claims to represent change, Barack Obama will not fundamentally alter the culture of the United States. He will not change the fundamental policies of freedom, toleration and openness that we espouse. Nor will he totally stray from a foreign policy that aggressively protects American interests. Thus, he will not represent any change in the minds of those who dislike America the most. For anyone who still expects Obama to do so, Chavez’s big mouth will likely represent only the first dose of reality.
Robby Colby’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at r.colby@cavalierdaily.com.
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