This is something which has been bothering me for some time. Former US President George W. Bush has a terrible reputation in Europe ever since he initiated the Iraq war and began the 'War on Terror' which resulted in the unlawful extradition and torture of many foreign prisoners in American bases and Guantanamo Bay. From a purely anecdotal perspective, it would appear that amongst the 'liberal' or 'left wing' community in Europe and farther afield Bush is reviled and ridiculed. In contrast, current President Barack Obama was met with the Nobel Peace Prize upon his election and has been greeted by rapturous crowds of supporters during his state visits to various European nations (just check for a video of his visit to Ireland in 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp9wj22mZNg).
I understand that Obama is a Democrat and Bush was a Republican, but are people so blinded by those labels that they cannot see the real actions of Obama in the past couple of years since his election and subsequent re-election? If you are not aware of what I am talking about, let me show you a quick overview of Obama's 'accomplishments' since he took over the 'War on Terror' from Bush:
- When Bush left Office in January 2009 the US government had carried out just 45 drone attacks within Pakistan. Since Obama was first elected, the US has carried out 292+ attacks (see http://livingunderdrones.org/background-and-context/#_ftn33)
- This includes the 'double tap' method of striking the same spot twice after first responders and family members rush to the scene in order to retrieve bodies or tend to the injured (see http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/outrage-at-cias-deadly-double-tap-drone-attacks-8174771.html)
- Only 2 per cent of drone victims are known militants. Some of them are just people who might happen to 'look like terrorists' and any male casualty over the age of 16 is automatically considered a militant by CIA records (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/25/study-obama-drone-deaths)
- As of July 2012, there were 168 prisoners still in Guantanamo Bay (see http://www.reprieve.org.uk/publiceducation/guantanamostats/)
- There are still 66,000 US troops in Afghanistan to date (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11371138)
- Obama has personally ordered the execution of a US citizen and his 16 year old son without trial. Although I do not see personally much difference between the two crimes of executing Pakistani civilians without trial and executing an American civilian without trial, I am sure that this will strike a cord with those who still view Obama as a man of principle (see http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/a/anwar_al_awlaki/index.html)
- Although Obama promised to end the use of extreme rendition, there have been some recent notable exceptions to this promise. Examine the case of Mahdi Hashi, a British man of Somali descent who went missing in East Africa and somehow turned up at a US court facing charges of engaging in terrorist activity with Al-Shabaab (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20833555).
This is just a short overview of some of Obama major failing in the years since he promised change. At the time of his first election, I was highly optimistic and over-joyed that the United States had finally elected a person of African-American descent. I would go so far as to say that Obama has created a cult of personality amongst his foreign fans which has shielded them from the facts. People should not assume that just because a leader carries the banner of a particular label such as 'liberal' or 'democrat' that they actually personally adhere to these principles. It may be disappointing or saddening to see a public figure whom you respect or admire, fail to live up to your expectations, but this does not mean that you should ignore the obvious. When it comes to the actions of his military abroad, Obama has blood on his hands.
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