America From Abroad : Dear Mr. President

Foreign policy may have played second fiddle--or second saxophone--to domestic problems in the U.S. presidential campaign that culminates today. But in fact, whether it turns out to be President Bush, President Clinton or President Perot, the man who occupies the White House for the next four years will spend a lot of that time coping with global issues.

What kind of advice is the winner likely to hear from the men and women who are paid to be America’s eyes and ears in foreign capitals?

World Report asked Times correspondents in Berlin, Brussels, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Toronto and Tokyo to step into the shoes of the political secretaries of the American embassies in those cities and offer some tips in a memo to the new President . . .

BERLIN

‘Germans expect a lot from you during the next four years . . . ‘

Remember when the German peace movement churned out anti-American slogans faster than Volkswagen made cars and the political left liked to flirt with Moscow? Well, those days are over. In fact, now is one of those rare moments when nobody here is actively campaigning against U.S. foreign policy.

Don’t let the quiet fool you.

Germans expect a lot from you during the next four years.

They’ve applauded campaign statements that it is now time to address America’s domestic crises mainly because they see America’s $4-trillion national debt as potentially destabilizing for them too. They also worry about the economic decline of the nation that has been more or less a role model for the majority of them for the past 45 years.

So, count on kind words and goodwill from Chancellor Helmut Kohl when addressing these problems--but don’t count on much more.

He can’t lean on the Bundesbank to push through the interest rate cuts that would help get our economy going again. Kohl--the hero of unification two years ago--today stands up to his eyeballs in unity-related problems that are costing him unexpected bundles of money. Heaven forbid, he even had to renege on a “no new taxes” campaign pledge.

Partly because of this, he’ll be pressing you to keep the United States fully engaged in Europe--politically and militarily. He’ll want to see a minimum of 150,000 American troops stay on European soil and would resist anything less.

On this issue, those who question why the United States--a nation of 250 million people with horrendous domestic problems--should continue to carry a disproportionate share of the defense burden for a continent of 340 million, much of which is richer than the United States, have a point.

Whether you drop below 150,000 or not, just floating the prospect can accelerate European efforts to build their own defense.

As the crisis in the Soviet successor states deepens, Kohl will be pushing you for more help (and for help read money ). A look at any map of Europe will tell you why the Germans are leading foreign aid efforts to these countries. A collapse of political order in the East is the German nightmare. But it would also be a disaster for the entire West.