Liberty, Equality, Envy

from the New York Times


Liberty, Equality, Envy
By AMÉLIE NOTHOMB, author of “Tokyo Fiancée”
April 4, 2009
Paris

THE feeling in Europe, and especially in France, about Barack Obama’s presidency is as clear as day: we are envious.

We are aware that the results of Mr. Obama’s economic policy are not good — not yet — and that there is little chance they will be wonderful any time soon. Here, too, the results of our leaders’ economic policies are not at all good. We know these things. Nonetheless, we are envious because Americans are so evidently proud of their president. What is worse, we feel that Americans have a kind of faith in Barack Obama. We would love to feel the same way about our presidents and our leaders.

Naturally, our presidents and leaders are even more envious than we are. They all seem to be wondering why they are not loved as well as Barack Obama is loved. Some of them are trying to play up their resemblance to Mr. Obama; others are suggesting that he is overrated. And so on. ... It is an extremely amusing spectacle.

Envy is a complex passion. It engenders both love and hate. Many French intellectuals hate Barack Obama because they feel that too many people adore him, and with too much ardor. But by and large, the optimism and excitement that the majority of French people felt during Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign and at the moment he was elected have not diminished.

We had a chance to appreciate Mr. Obama’s spirit of cooperation with Europe at the G-20 summit meeting. It came almost as a surprise, for we are no longer accustomed to such things after years of George W. Bush’s isolationism. Mr. Obama’s position on Iran has provoked a more-than-favorable reaction all across Europe, and particularly in France, and nothing seems to be clouding the blue skies of the old continent’s love story with President Obama. Mr. Obama’s anger is portrayed here as something holy. And when he laughs, we laugh.

When our president, Nicolas Sarkozy, gets angry, on the other hand, we laugh. When he laughs, we wonder why. We feel that Mr. Obama confers dignity on his country and its people. We, too, would sorely like to feel dignified.