World leaders embarrassed in Obama’s presence
Errors in protocol dominate media coverage of United States President Barack Obama’s tour of Europe, as if the heads of host nations are expected to mind their behaviour in the presence of the leader of the free world.
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi embarrassed himself by calling out to Obama during the photocall for G20 leaders in London, which prompted the Queen to snap, “Why does he have to shout?” It was the presence of Obama — not Her Majesty — that had left Berlusconi starstruck and clamouring for attention.
First Lady Michelle Obama predictably avoided any such criticism when she broke Royal protocol by hugging the Queen. One wonders if the likes of Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner would have been viewed as sympathetically by the press and media.
Fernández de Kirchner was scrutinised after President Obama apparently ignored her at the G20. She had made headlines on the fringe of the summit by appealing to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for fresh negotiations over the sovereignty of the disputed Falklands/Malvinas islands in the South Atlantic, over which Argentina and Britain went to war in 1982 with the loss of more than 900 lives.
The video (below) shows Obama walking straight past Fernández de Kirchner, who had extended her right hand in greeting, to acknowledge Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who was standing just behind her. Some commenters on the website of Argentina’s independent newspaper Perfil implied that CFK had achieved little at the G20. One cruelly suggested that she could have been mistaken by Obama for a coffee waitress.
In fairness, Fernández de Kirchner was having to juggle many obligations as head of state. Her G20 attendance coincided with the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1982 war, and she was also expected back in Argentina to express her condolences to the family of former president Raúl Alfonsin, credited with overseeing Argentina’s return to democracy after years of military dictatorship, who died earlier this week.
Leaders like Berlusconi and CFK have only themselves to blame if their national media tear them to pieces after their antics at high-profile gatherings. Only Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appear to have retained some dignity by refusing to be seen gushing in Obama’s presence.
Obama’s hypnotic effect on students during a virtual “town hall” audience ahead of the NATO conference in Strasbourg showed that to perform effectively on the world stage, nations are required to elect leaders who are more media savvy than their present incumbents. Obama’s moments of measured diplomacy are never missed by the cameras.
Tags: Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, CFK, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, G20, Gordon Brown, royalty, Silvio Berlusconi
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