Obama’s Magical Mystery Tour

By almost all accounts, President Obama’s European and Mid-East tour was a rousing success. Almost everywhere he went he attracted adoring crowds. Ordinary Europeans loved him. They found him both exotic and down to earth. The heads of state with whom he dealt were less impressed, but they too were prepared to work with him.
The mystery of his tour, however, was what he intended to accomplish. One of his central messages was apparently that the United States deserves to be loved. It has sometimes behaved arrogantly, but was now prepared to be more modest. It would, in his person, be a partner, rather than a bully. The goal was collaboration, not domination.
What Obama seems to have forgotten is that he is president of the United States, not a rock star. Whether he wishes to be or not, he is the chief executive of the world’s lone remaining super-power. As such, he is automatically the first among equals. And as the first, he will not always be loved; that is, once he stops apologizing for his country.
Militarily the United States is still the strongest country in the world, while economically it remains so dominant that when it sneezes the rest of the world catches cold. Other nations look to it for both defense and economic leadership. They often criticize America, but this is an indicator of their dependency, not of our nation’s bad behavior.
A homely analogy should make the point. When couples with children divorce, their offspring usually reside with their mother. She feeds and clothes them, and tucks them into bed at night. Their father is generally a weekend visitor. He takes the kids out for a Sunday meal, or perhaps on a trip to the circus, then returns them to her care.
As a result, he is frequently an object of adulation. The kids openly express their devotion for him, whereas she is more apt to be criticized for being a nag. From her point of view, this is grossly unfair. After all, she does the heavy lifting, while he gets the party-time. Why should he receive so much praise?
The reason is fairly simple. It is because she is the one who is there, rain and shine. Every day she proves her dependability. He, on the other hand, is only intermittently present. In a certain sense, he has abandoned his children. Getting angry with him might convince him to stay away, whereas mom can be safely attacked. She has demonstrated that she will be there even when her kids tell her that they hate her.
The Untied States is like a custodial mother. Even when other nations kick it around, it remains constant. Far from failing to listen, it has been more respectful of their needs than any previous super-power. There is no reason to apologize, only a need to understand their pique.
We cannot, for instance, expect gratitude. We have saved European bacon from two hot wars, a cold war, and are currently defending it from Islamic terrorism. In this, we protect them, but at the same time reveal their inability to protect themselves. Naturally, this makes them feel weak—and people resent feeling weak. As a result, they carp rather than praise.
The lesson of this paradox is that the leader of a strong nation must lead. He needs follow in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt. They all implemented policies that were occasionally unpopular. Their goal, however, was to do the right thing, and especially to safeguard American interests. It was not to be loved.
Obama and his team must ask themselves if their objective is approbation or effective leadership. If it is the latter, they need a little more starch in his skirts and little less ingratiation.
Melvyn L. Fein. Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University