KEY POINTS:
There were few cheering crowds when President George W. Bush made a farewell tour of Europe last month, but there will be no shortage of adoration and applause when Senator Barack Obama arrives there this week, at the conclusion of a swing through Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and the West Bank. President Bush drained a deep spring of goodwill towards the United States. The Democrat presidential candidate carries the hopes of many for rebuilding alliances and trust. His tour, less than four months out from the election, suggests Mr Obama is prepared to engage in foreign policy dynamics and detail in a manner that Mr Bush never contemplated.
It is, of course, about far more than that. Mr Obama is also seeking to burnish his credentials in the eyes of Americans. The weakest element of his candidacy is his inexperience in international affairs, the very area that the President can exert the strongest influence. His Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, wastes no opportunity to exploit his own military background and knowledge of foreign relations and contrast this with his rival's raw status. Major foreign policy speeches, such as that which the freshman senator will deliver in Berlin, are designed to allay Americans' doubts.
But, equally, Mr Obama seems aware that rebuilding the United States' reputation and its moral authority will be a leading challenge for Mr Bush's successor. On a variety of issues, and especially the war in Iraq and climate change, the Bush Administration alienated itself from the global community. Mr Obama's recognition of the malaise is clearly shared by the American people. They are uncomfortable with how they are perceived globally and know steps must be taken to repair relations. He would not be making this tour if Americans saw no problem and believed it was more important for presidential candidates to be traversing the US. Instead, there appears an acceptance that Mr Obama must acquire first-hand knowledge and an interest in how he will acquit himself.
So far, the signs are good. While in Kabul, Mr Obama noted that the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq, rather than stay focused on fighting the Taleban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks, was "one of the biggest mistakes we made strategically". It was time, he said, to prepare to put more troops into Afghanistan, as talks began about further reductions in American forces in Iraq. This reveals a pragmatism that promises greater rewards than the unrealistic ambitions of the Bush Administration.
So, too, does Mr Obama's insistence that European nations must play a bigger role in that war by supplying more troops and agreeing to their stationing in areas of greatest danger. It may have been relatively easy for European leaders to wave away such appeals from Mr Bush, so widely was he disliked. It would be different if Mr Obama were to win the White House. There are other indications of a more practical, and less confrontational, approach. Mr Obama has hinted that he would be willing to negotiate with the likes of Iran without preconditions. The Bush Administration spent most of its time insisting this would reek of weakness, even though talks with North Korea had shown that it could reap dividends.
The possibilities created by such a switch of direction guarantee Mr Obama a rapturous greeting in Europe and most of his other ports of call. The international community believes his presence in the White House could prompt a foreign policy based on the best of American values. Americans, themselves, know something has gone amiss. Like Mr Obama, they are looking outwards. It is a refreshing change.
