Obama to prod West to take on global challenges in Berlin speech
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BERLIN (REUTERS) - In the city where John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan gave defiant Cold War speeches, President Barack Obama will call on Wednesday for a renewed spirit of activism by the West in tackling 21st century challenges from nuclear proliferation to climate change.
Fresh from a two day summit with Group of Eight leaders in Northern Ireland, Mr Obama concludes his short European sojourn with a trip to Berlin, the German capital that he last visited as a presidential candidate in 2008.
A lot has changed since then. After more than four years in office, Mr Obama has disappointed some Europeans who saw him as a friendlier and more progressive face of America compared to his divisive predecessor, Republican George W. Bush.
But the Democratic leader remains popular in Germany, and he has forged a pragmatic - if not warm - relationship with conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of his closest European allies. Mr Obama's trip just months before the coming German election gives her a boost.
