As Merkel with Obama the music stand with a tear in the eyes

There are very few politicians-Talk, have an own entry on Wikipedia. To A New Beginning" ("A new beginning""), Barack Obama on 4. June 2009 at Cairo University held, also known as "The speech to the Islamic world," or simply "Cairo speech". The American President broke his promise to hold in the first months of his term in office a keynote speech in a Muslim country, to a new time in relations between the United States and the Islamic world.

the man behind The "Cairo speech" is Ben Rhodes. As a 29-Year-old, he joined Obama's campaign team. After its election victory in 2008, he has helped to shape the eight years in office to foreign policy, he was Deputy National security adviser and close Confidant, he negotiated the nuclear deal with Iran, and a threaded approach to Cuba.

Above all, he wrote foreign policy Speeches by the President. One and a half years after Obama's farewell Rhodes has submitted a paper on that time. "The World as It Is" appeared in the summer of 2018, and quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list, as in the case of books of high-level presidential staff is common.

Meanwhile, with the help of four Translators, is it in English, with the succinct title "In the White house – The years with Barack Obama". Twenty pages of the Cairo speech dedicated to. Clearly, the now 41-year-old policy Advisor portrays the need to incorporate, how a lot of preparatory work, Balance, compromise and sense, so that a speech is gaining importance.

insight without cheap voyeurism

Rhodes' memories of political autobiographies represent a new Era; not only clever and analytical, but also honest and self-critical. The G-20 summit in London in 2009, for instance, it means: "Our embarrassing concern was that other countries should be called on to spend money in order to stabilize the world economy – to respond to a crisis, which had started in the United States."

Also free from self-glorification, as you know about Henry Kissinger's thick memoirs "White House Years" and where the author, for all the wise reflection stands often as a super hero.

Rhodes is the defiance, quite rare vanity shines through, you can be forgiven, but his duties were too important. He shows, rather realistically, to work as exhausting, tedious, and sleep-consuming it is, for the most important man in the world. That success - or even triumph moments can quickly become disillusionment and Frustration replaced. His insights and anecdotes are intimate enough to give the readers the feeling of exclusivity, but without the cheap voyeurism.

Ben Rhodes, the only Vice-chief Advisor of Obama. Photo: Urs Jaudas

Rhodes knows his craft, he knows that he appreciates the audience, and even to the morons. So he tells in the Preface how Obama in his presidential limousine on Rhodes' lack of socks makes a funny (a misunderstanding in the Pack).

Similarly, presidential may lack knowledge, the only persons directly in the process: "to be President, is not as glamorous as you like it", or Trump-election and Brexit-decision: "Sometimes I wonder whether I have ten or twenty years too early." Also this one here, is that Obama's farewell visit in Berlin, the otherwise sober Angela Merkel, "a single tear in the eyes".

All of the writes Ben Rhodes on fluid and entertaining, you can tell him that he has assigned the subject of "Creative Writing" at the New York University. Or as the journalist Joe said Klein in his New York Times Review in June 2018, ironically: "He writes well, although he has a Master's degree in Creative Writing."

It is missing the distance that would be an assessment of the necessary

So the value of Rhodes praise saves to the description of his own importance, so much respect, Yes, admiration for his former boss revealed he is still active as a consultant. enters One of Obama's political failures, it was about to explain the use of chemical weapons in the Syria war to the "red line" and, as Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, the nerve Sarin poison in August of 2013 against his people began to respond.

For the US foreign policy that was a serious loss of Credibility. Rhodes is dedicated to this failure of a Chapter, he signed up to the Weigh the scruples to en detail. But the Crucial thing is missing: a rating or the necessary conviction.

You can feel how the Obama-confidant of the winds, and if you read how he defended even now those Syria policy, it is clear that the distance is missing that would be necessary to examine an eight-year presidency concludes. So at the end is "a brilliant report about what it was like to be there," as the former US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, says, and as it is on the cover of the German edition as a second subtitle is printed.

Rhodes' fleet, and quite clever write can't prevent, that his work unit, sometimes to cure, counter, and little is reflected. Very often the rooms are circled crosses, and sofa groups, we know from memories of other former white house staff enough.

The legacy fades

The core of Obama-the time is lost in descriptions of well-known processes and irrelevant Details, even if the political Junkies and Obama-like care nostalgic. It shows on top of that, of some courage to publish memoirs of the Obama years, a time in which America and the world Irrlichtereien are fixated on Donald trump's.

The legacy of its predecessor, the faded emotions behind all the Trump. But that's also due to the fact that the first dark-skinned US President, has external political left actually little.

It was under Obama, no peace Treaty of Dayton, the Bill Clinton once did, or German reunification, the Bush senior has mitermöglicht. Obama can hardly boast of concrete achievements, his good deed was, according to the divisive and embarrassing George W. Bush years, the image of America in the world, right, with his high sympathy values, to influence his sense of humour, and as a gifted orator, the political culture and to inspire people.

Now, since this pendulum under the Trump strikes back, remains as a Rhodes'shear knowledge, idealism, noble intentions and great ambitions to bounce off sometimes to the realities of world events. That the world is as it is: The World as It Is. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 20.04.2019, 17:53 PM