The Lonesome Winner: The Obama Triumph From a European Perspective

HAMBURG, Germany, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Why the Day of Joy was Also a Day of Shame

- By Gabor Steingart, Editor-in-Chief of the Leading German Business Daily "Handelsblatt"

Should we enjoy the murder of a human being? The short answer is: No. The somewhat longer answer: In this case, yes, because the violent death of Osama Bin Laden is connected to hope. One death possibly helps prevent many other deaths. I have no idea how the good Lord would respond to that argument. But thankfully the Catholic Church shines a friendly light on the murder of a tyrant.

Politically and militarily, the strong stewardship of the United States was rewarded in the fight against terrorism. The world power has shown leadership in the rugged Pakistani border region, as all other allies beat into the bushes. And I'm not talking about the scratchy bushes of Pakistan's high country, because the European allies never got to that far. Their shrubs and bushes were the Rhododendrons in front of Number 10 Downing Street, the Elysee Palace and the German Chancellery.

The USA fought there alone, so they do not have to share the laurels for tracking down and switching Bin Laden off: Congratulations, America! The hierarchy of world power is intact. The dollar may be weak and the American budget situation tense, but the military is on the ball. Germany produces the best cars, China the cheapest Santa Claus, but America, however, is the world export champion in all things security. This product is dammed expensive and not always pretty to look at, but it is as reliable as the tides.

American success excites and shames us Europeans. A continent that is equal to the population and economic power of the United States has not seen the will to defend itself, its values and its prosperity. The majority of Europeans, since the Germans are not alone, refuse to accept the central insights of this now ten-year struggle against international terrorism: This war is not the same kind of war we know from our history books. There was no declaration of war, and there will never be a surrender document. The enemy with no helmet or uniform does not even know how to navigate a tank accident-free through the countryside. He straps on a suicide bomb belt in the morning and visits the nearest market place. He learns via the Internet how to build a bomb and then tries to blow up commuter trains into the morning air. Our lack of understanding is the most effective accomplice of the terrorists.

We have not fully understood that these days security policy is an extension of economic policy. Without the protection of our ports and airports, without the monitoring of communication networks, and without immigration controls, we invite the terrorists to settle among us and to forge their murderous plans or plots from Hamburg, Berlin or Dusseldorf.

The lonesome winner,the USA,understands this. These days, America is preparing to transform its traditional army to meet new requirements. The CIA and Pentagon will not merge but will be intertwined. The CIA Director will become the new defense minister; a four-star general will be the new intelligence chief. And Germany? It cannot wait to withdraw from Afghanistan and is starting to debate on whether to limit security laws put in place after the attack on the World Trade Center.

The death of Bin Laden should be an event of joy, but not one of calm. The abnormal war will continue. The symbol of terror is dead, but his dangerous sources are still bubbling. Maybe this war cannot be won, but we have to make sure that it will not be lost.

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Gabor Steingart is the Editor-in-Chief of the leading German Business Daily "Handelsblatt" and the former Bureau Chief of "Der Spiegel" in Washington DC. He is the author of the book "War for Wealth - The True Story of Globalization or Why the World is Not Flat"

Press Information: Literatur- und Pressebuero Politycki & Partner, Birgit Politycki, [email protected], +49-040-430-9315 - 12

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