Sunday, March 22, 2009

New NATO general secretary?

As the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is constantly referred to as possible candidate for next secretary general af NATO, a lot is heard in the news about this.
Notwithstanding that most people (in Europe or in Denmark) can hardly mention who is NATO general secretary (currently, it is de Hoop Schefer, from the Netherlands) nor what one does, in Denmark Mr. Fogh Rasmussen's candidature of course represents much more, as he would have to step down as Prime Minister.

Although Mr. Fogh Rasmussen doesn't comment on the rumours, there seems to be support for his position, even from the US - or perhaps because of it? Mr. Fogh Rasmussen was a staunch supporter of president Bush's war on terror and supported the invasion of Iraq (Denmark still has troops there).
Is a man who has such a record of military action the one we would want to chair the most powerful military alliance in the world...?

Besides this, Mr. Fogh Rasmussen completely mishandled the so-called cartoon crisis, leaving Denmark in a weak position in Muslim countries, and reinforcing the signal of an intolerant and self-centered country in much of the world (Mr. Fogh Rasmussen has also presided the most discriminatory policies on immigration in the world, with support from the Danish People's Pary).
Is this a kind of diplomat who we would like to head a military alliance that increasingly sees threats from the Muslim world...?

Mr. Fogh Rasmussen has led a pretty stable government in Denmark for many years now, but there have been talk of his impersonal and unkind management style, as well as clashes with his minister of foreign affairs. To chair an international organisation like NATO, one needs outstanding diplomatic skills as well as cultural awareness and social skills.
Is Mr. Fogh Rasmussen the kind of person we would like to chair important meetings between military leaders from different countries?

Although Danish media increasingly say that Mr. Fogh Rasmussen will become the next general secretary of NATO, some stumbling blocs still remain: apparently Turkey is threatening to veto his candidature for exactly some of the above reasons.

I have no doubt that Mr. Fogh Rasmussen is competent. But as a world citizen I think that the position as NATO secretary general is too important for a man like him; it would entail to reward his (huge) international flops mentioned above. However, as a Dane who thinks that Denmark is in an urgent need of change of its political power, the prospect of Mr. Fogh Rasmussen going to Brussels is rather refreshing.

4 comments:

ColoredOpinions said...

Exactedly, too bad journalists don't tell you this in the main European newspapers.

ølvis said...

Shallow article written by a Danish leftwinger!

Erik Cleves Kristensen said...

Hi Ølvis! Thanks! I did not consider my very personal blog-post an "article", so you calling it so is a compliment.
On left-winger, I am not sure you know what "left-winger" means, politically (or maybe I misundertand you?) but I find that an all-too-often used term to put on people when you don't agree but have no idea what to say.

In any case, I respect your opinion (I have been following Danish press generally enough to know that many don't agree with me), but would of course like to hear more about it than just labelling the writer!
Of an article ;)

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