MEDIA REACTION: Afghanistan, Obama, Economic Pakistan-India

UNCLAS BERLIN 000184 STATE FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/PAPD, EUR/PPA, EUR/AGS, INR/EUC, INR/P, SECDEF FOR USDP/ISA/DSAA, DIA FOR DC-4A VIENNA FOR CSBM, CSCE, PAA "PERISHABLE INFORMATION -- DO NOT SERVICE" E.0. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO GM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: Afghanistan, Obama, Economic Pakistan-India Protectionism, Clinton, EU-Turkey ¶1. Lead Stories Summary Editorials focused on today's Bundestag meeting on the government's economic stimulus package, on protectionist tendencies in the EU, and on reports that people use drugs to improve their performance on the job. ZDF-TV's early evening newscast Heute opened with the Congress's approval of President Obama's economic stimulus package, while ARD-TV's early evening newscast Tagesschau opened with a story on the Bundestag debate over claims for old age pensions after a divorce. ¶2. (Afghanistan) Holbrooke Trip According to Handelsblatt, "the contours of a new U.S. policy towards Afghanistan are not even visible, but there is no panacea for more security in the Hindu Kush. That is why U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke is travelling empty-handed to Kabul. Washington the entire West must now turn to the complicated Afghanistan problem with all their might. The main focus should be civilian reconstruction and to enter into a more intense dialogue with the Afghans. They must witness economic progress that will no longer cast any doubt about the West's capabilities to set up a social structure in the downtrodden country. This includes infrastructure and education but also healthcare and security. If this new development concept shows consideration for the needs of the people, it will cut the ground from under the terrorists' feet and the downward spiral will be broken." ¶3. (U.S.) Obama Administration Under the headline: "Welcome To The World!" Tagesspiegel judged: "Irrespective of whether it is Israel, Iran, Afghanistan or the economic crisis, reality has caught up with Barack Obama. The President cannot dedicate his full attention to other conflicts [because of the financial crisis]. They continue to smolder and could develop a dangerous dynamic of their own. He will get a free hand in foreign policy only if an economic recovery is visible. But it is not up to him alone to make that happen. The power of the U.S. president is limited. Under Bush, many would have considered this view as reassuring. Does the longing for a stronger America rise in times of misery?" Berliner Zeitung observed: "The charismatic politician who entered office to achieve bipartisanship in Washington must realize after three weeks that reality is stronger than his idealism. Obama has tried not to create false hopes and warned against possible setbacks. Even though Barack Obama only achieved a compromise with his stimulus, the president can stand before Congress again tomorrow and raise new demands. He has the time and the will to correct his policies. And he has even more: Obama has a strong ally on his side: the great majority of Americans. This, too, distinguishes him from his predecessor." ¶4. (U.S.) Economic Stimulus Package Frankfurter Allgemeine argued under the headline: "The Big Waste," "The rhetoric of the U.S. president can hardly be excelled in its dramatic tone. Hardly a day passes, in which he does not warn against an 'economic disaster.' But it is regrettable that the actors in Washington now seem to get a feeling of panic. For instance, what Treasury Secretary Geithner has now presented is only an unclear sketch of various measures...and the Secretary left too many questions open. On Capitol Hill, senators and members of Congress also have difficulty keeping a cool head. But ONE thing is certain: America will now accumulate a large mountain of debt which will have to be reduced with higher taxes. We hope that President Obama succeeds in stabilizing the financial system as quickly as possible. But in the sectors where the economic stimulus package goes beyond tax cut measures, it is tantamount to a big waste at the expense of the taxpayer." Financial Times Deutschland editorialized: "There is a dangerous gap between the rhetoric and the substance of the U.S. economic stimulus package. While President Obama and his economic team are announcing the biggest possible state-run tour de force package, the concrete measures remain blunt and vague. The bipartisan compromise that the president has now achieved could be expected: it is a stimulus package that no longer follows any coherent strategy. Congress has approved a stimulus that offers something for each side - thus minimizing the political but also the economic risks, and the president must be blamed for the dilution of responsibilities. Obama deliberately gave up a plan to refer to his fresh, new mandate and assert a package with the Congressional Democratic majority according to his own views. Those who announce a 'big bang,' but then only deliver a loud tinkling, do not create, but rather jeopardize, confidence." Berliner Zeitung noted under the headline: "the Turbo President," that the 789 billion dollar economic bailout package is a compromise but it no longer prefers the rich with tax cuts and it clearly shows that the state will play a significant role in the future economy.... And the times are over for the Bush principle that tax cuts for the rich will result in more jobs and more money for the middle class and the poor. But Obama is right. The United States must act quickly, even though not everyone likes the package." ¶5. (Pakistan/India) Aftermath Of Mumbai Attack Frankfurter Allgemeine commented: "Immediately after the attacks in Mumbai, Indian authorities were convinced that the masterminds come from Pakistan. If the Indians really know this for sure, why wasn't there an opportunity to stop the bloodshed? Pakistan denied any involvement right after the attack. It is now clear that this was premature. The Pakistani government's admission on Thursday basically confirmed the Indian investigation results. The real question is now what follows? Maybe it was a coincidence that the announcement came on the day U.S. envoy Holbooke ended his visit in Pakistan. However, in the past Pakistan often announced window-dressing success stories in the fight against terrorism without any further results. Doubts remain." A report in S|ddeutsche headlined: "Pakistan catches the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks," and remarked that the "government in Islamabad admits for the first time that the attacks were prepared on its territory." The paper added: "Tensions will not subside quickly. Malik requests further details from India. The catalogue of 30 questions also refers to telephone cards with connections to Europe. The attacks were apparently financed with money from Spain and Italy." ¶6. (Economic) French Car Bailout, Protectionism In the view of Handelsblatt, "Sarkozy's bailout package for the French car industry is not the only in Europe, but, in reality, it is the most worrying one. The principle that 'our-taxpayers'-money-stays-in-the-country' is meeting with increasing popularity in this crisis, and there is no ONE in the EU who could stop these activities. It is a basic idea of the EU that the common internal market should offer great advantages to all sides. This idea continues to remain correct and that is why [EU] governments must accept that, in an EU-wide coordinated program, companies cut jobs where they consider it right, for, in the end, they cannot prevent it." Sueddeutsche criticized that "Europe's leaders met almost on a weekly basis last fall to save Europe from the economic crisis...but at home, where the implications of the crisis are felt, their decisions are hardly worth the paper on which they were written. At home, they have now launched a flurry of hectic activities and do not give a damn about the holy oath they gave in Brussels. An economic nationalism is spreading in Europe which we thought had been overcome: protectionism. It has the potential to blow up the European Union." Die Welt editorialized: "Chancellor Merkel now has the choice: She either withstands protectionist temptations, or the chancellor will also join the race for subsidies, which would add to the damage of the global economy, and which could turn the economic crisis into a crisis of European and international policies." Frankfurter Rundschau opined: "globalization to and fro, national egotism, parochialism, and protectionism are thriving. Instead of a renaissance of multilateralism, modern currency and trade wars are surfacing on the horizon in which every ONE fights for himself of against the others for his existence. Half a year of a global economic downturn was enough, and now economic nationalism no longer knows any borders." Tagesspiegel judged: "If the United States protects its Wall Street, and France assists its car industry, we will help Opel. But in this context, ONE pushes aside the view that globalization cannot be abolished. Protectionism will separate markets and consumers. Those who would spare banks from the costs of their actions will give them a carte blanche for new escapades. Those who favor car producers from the past will shield them from the competition for the cars of the future." Regional daily Badische Zeitung of Freiburg opined: "Again and again Sarkozy is kicking his European partners in the shin. What is even worse: he makes himself not credible. Only a while ago, he called for a European Economic Government to strengthen the EU's position in the world. But he should know ONE thing: the close-your-eyes-and-hope-for-the best strategy did not resolve, but only worsened, economic problems in the past. And since then, the world has grown together even more." ¶7. (U.S.-Asia) Clinton in Asia Several papers carried reports of Clinton's travel plans. S|ddeutsche headlined: "U.S. Courts Asia" and said in its intro: "When Hillary Clinton arrives in Tokyo on Monday evening, it will be the U.S. Secretary of State's first visit abroad. The Japanese government sees this as a confirmation of the significance of U.S.-Japanese relations.... U.S.-Japanese relations are cordial but also deadlocked and therefore fragile. Washington is demanding more military engagement by Japan, e.g. in Afghanistan." ¶8. (EU) Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria "Turkey is increasingly causing a headache in the EU," Sueddeutsche Zeitung wrote, and added: "The sobering view is now spreading in Brussels that Ankara has now chosen setbacks, not moves forward, as the preferred means of locomotion. It is a bitter truth that the temptation of an accession has only a limited effect on Turkey's domestic movement towards greater democracy and the rule of law. Europe has to make up its mind on what to do with Turkey. And it should not feel irritated by the Turkish inclination to react with an offended national pride or to consider itself as the victim of European arrogance. It is Turkey that wants to join the EU, and the EU does not raise unfair demands." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung opined: "Since Bulgaria and Romania have been accepted in the EU, their efforts to introduce and implement standards according to the rule of law have declined. They are still miles away from European standards. The European Commission is now threatening Romania with a stop of funds, a move which it implemented recently against Bulgaria. All indications are that the European transfer of funds has been the reason for an increase in corruption. The conclusion is that closing the tap could not only have a political effect in Sofia and Bucharest but could also help dry up the swamps in these countries. Such punishment should be a lesson for other accession candidates: The EU membership is not for free."