Damaged Reputation: Why Obama 'Has Become a Disappointment' for Germans

For the fifth and probably last time Barack Obama has visited Germany as the President of the United States. During his visit, he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and has become the first US president ever to visit the Hanover Fair.

In his statement, Obama praised Merkel's refugee policy and mentioned common interests and values of the US and the EU.

"She is giving voice I think to the kinds of principles that bring people together rather than divide them," Obama continued. "And I'm very proud of her for that. And I'm proud of the German people for that."

However, according to German magazine Der Spiegel, Obama's words sound pretty hypocritical taking into account the fact that the US has accepted about 2,500 refugees from Syria so far and is planning to receive 10,000 more this year.

The magazine criticized him for announcing such small numbers in "a country that has received one million people last year risking its political stability" and noted that more than 1.1 million refugees from all across the world entered Germany in 2015.

According to the magazine, many Germans welcomed Obama when he became President of the United States. However, for many of them he also ‘has become a disappointment'.

"Guantanamo is not closed. Drone wars kill innocent people. America makes the world a subject of total surveillance. Whistleblowers are mercilessly persecuted. Obama has not made the world a better place," the magazine concluded.

During his visit to Germany, Obama also tried to promote the controversial TTIP agreement, which is designed to reduce barriers to trade in goods and services between Europe and the United States.

However, many German media consider it unlikely that the US President has managed to persuade the German public to accept the deal. Many Germans fear that the agreement may have a negative impact on the food safety as well as weaken public health regulations.