Zapatero needs Kerry

ONE person who will be watching the U.S. elections very closely and hoping above all that Senator John Kerry wins is Spanish Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero. Among all the European leaders, he is probably the most outspoken critic of George W. Bush and rherotic hasn't changed when he moved from being leader of the opposition to Prime Minister. His anti-Bush stance, which some Spanish commentators say is anti-American, means that he has few friends in Washington. He didn't live up to his election pledge to go to the U.S. and campaign for Kerry but he has made it very clear that he would like to see a regime change on the other side of the Atlantic. If Bush wins then Zapatero is going to have plenty of bridges to rebuild. Zapatero barred U.S. troops from Spain's National Day last month, in a move which so angered the U.S. Ambassador to Spain that he boycotted the event.

I think Zapatero has been rather foolish on the Bush front, probably more for his domestic image than anything else. Former Prime Minister Aznar was a close ally of the Bush administration and Zapatero appears to have been on a mission to upset the Bush government. He appears to have forgotten that the U.S. has always been a key ally of Spain.

While Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder have criticised Bush, especially on Iraq, they have still appeared to be statesmen while Zapatero has been behaving rather like a child who has been given a new pair of shoes.

If Kerry does win he will seek to rebuild relations with Spain, Germany and France. He will probably appeal to Spain to send their troops back to Iraq. Zapatero has said that Spanish troops will never return, which could effectively damage his relationship with Kerry before it even starts. Whoever is the winner Zapatero is going to have to take some bold decisions.