Although he was elected one year ago and has been president for just ten months, Barack Obama is being blamed for not yet having changed the world.
It’s really remarkable. Barack Obama inherited a mess from his predecessor George W. Bush. With Obama, no foreign policy problem is as far from a solution as it had been with Bush. And in contrast to what Bush believed, America is far from being powerful enough to force its will upon the world anymore. The United States and its president are now relying much more on the approval and cooperation of other countries. To their complete misery, the gamblers of the international finance world, who were allowed to run rampant and unchecked during the Bush era, gave America and the world one of the worst financial and economic crises ever as a Christmas present.
If necessary, the Hercules of legend, who cleaned up King Augeas’s stables simply by channeling two rivers through them, would have been able to cope with these challenges on the spot. For a mortal like Obama, on the other hand, there was nothing else to do but start by changing the atmosphere, then getting his country behind him, and subsequently winning over the partners needed for cooperation. Each of these steps takes time, much time.
How does one do this? He starts by making his intentions clear early on. Shortly after his arrival in the White House, Obama ushered in radical changes in key American foreign policy issues: relations with the Islamic world, climate policy, the relationship with Russia, disarmament policy, the nuclear dispute with Iran, and the Middle East peace process. No other American president has pledged his word in so many areas and laid out the terms by which his performance will be measured as early into his term as Obama.
But even this approach really seems to shock his critics on both sides of the Atlantic. There are only nice words! The man does not act; he only continues to campaign. He is naïve, offers talks to Iran without concessions, and has unilaterally abandoned the missile shield in Eastern Europe. And what has he actually done thus far to carry out his plans? Nicolas Sarkozy, the restless French leader, is even said to have expressed doubts to Russian President Medvedev about whether Obama really has what it takes to be a political leader.
When American neoconservatives and their European imitators talk like this, this much is clear: They want to prove that they have been correct all along. Obama is being deflated to rehabilitate Bush and the naysayers themselves.
But criticism is also coming from those who had placed their hopes on the new man in the White House and are now blaming him for still not having performed miracles. In the news media, which likes to write people off early anyway, it has become quite popular to list, in all seriousness, everything the US President has not yet succeeded in doing: no concessions from North Korea or Iran, no halt to new Israeli settlements in Palestine, and no success in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Whoever talks like this exposes himself as being either naïve or malicious. Each of these conflicts has a long history full of setbacks and mistrust. Who can then seriously believe that they can be solved by waving a magic wand? Furthermore, Obama’s approaches to these problems are often controversial not only among the polarized American public and in Congress, but also within his own team. An example of this is speculation that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during a recent trip to Jerusalem, suddenly distanced herself from Obama’s demand for a halt to new Israeli settlements on the West Bank.
Ever since Obama announced his foreign policy initiatives this past spring, the obstacles to their implementation have been mounting both at home and abroad. If anything, they can only be achieved gradually, not taken by storm.
The crucial benchmark in the assessment of Barack Obama therefore cannot be that he has yet to perform any miracles. Rather, it will be whether he maintains the resolve necessary to realize his ambitious goals over the long run. This is the standard he should be judged by some day. Meanwhile, whoever wants to put him under pressure to succeed right now is either an ignoramus or someone who doesn’t share his goals.
You know what I find most interesting as an american citizen is how little other countries actually know about Americans living in the USA. I am an independent who didnot vote for GWB either of the two times that he was elected to the status of president of the United States. Many of my fellow citizens and I found the neocon regime barbaric and under Bush came the “Patriot Act” which of course wasnot patriotic at all. Then he began unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping of american citizens. Bush would override the US constitutional rules of law by using unconstitutional signing statements.He then went on to utilizing executive powers to undermine anything that congress might place in the american citizens favor(which doesnot happen often at all). Cameras were put in place that watch our every move and serves the dictatorial police state. protesters couldnot have freedom of speech to voice their objections and usually get put in jail. Bush got rid of posse Comitatus which doesn’t allow for soldiers to militarily patrol our streets. We have police officers now that are all Federalized under Bush, thus they are loyal to the federal government and donot protect and serve the citizens any longer. The police now look like black turtle swat teams and abuse citizens rights. Bush unconstitutionally and illegally and preemptively started a war in Iraq killing millions of innocent civilians. The whole world now knows that he lied about WMD as of course NONE were found. Bush then stated that Iraq had chemical weapons and a few were found that my country of the USA sold to Iraq in the 1st place. Of course the Bush regime neocons would never tell the american people this. America has been unconstitutionally at war with Afghanistan also for several years and only GOD knows when it will end. We are there mainly to guard the main pipeline for oil, and to guard the huge crop of poppie plants and to make sure that they make it to market for a hefty profit. With that said, I would to also let you know that president Obama promised many things during his campaign as many candidates who run for elections do. 1st off he promised to get rid of the unconstitutional “Patriot Act” which he recently and secretly resigned in order to continue with GWBs police state. He willnot reinstate posse comitatus so soldiers can just patrol the streets like they do in 3rd world countries. We supposedly have police for that duty,but I explained this earlier. Obama promised to get rid of dictatorial signing statements and said he would NEVER use them. Well, chalk that up to another failure to keep his promise. As the article alluded to was that Obama just hasn’t been given enough time to effect “change.” Well, no signing statements isnot a promise that is hard to keep ok? Obama now of course uses executive powers to override congress. Gitmo? Nope still open for business. How about trying to allow photos that would have punished the torturers? Nope, he sealed and classified them so noone could gain access for any trials to be held or any justice to be served.He continues GWBs wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and threatens Iran with sanctions. Not to mention Iran has now dropped the US dollar and the US government doesn’t like this one bit. We continue forces and fighting also in Pakistan. Our military remains in most every country throughout the world. There is so much more etc.. My response to your article is simple. Obamas image is like a “brand” of something new and of “Change.” His words flowed so eloquently until the teleprompters fall to the floor. For when this occurs, you find that underneath it all is mere words and fluff and it was the powerful corporations and lobbyists that bought and paid for this “brand and image” of Obama. Obama hasnot enacted on any of his promises when running for president and has only escalated GWBs old policies. GWB and Obama may look and sound different, but their “Actions” have been the exact same dictatorial tyrrany. Words are cheap and mean absolutely nothing, for it is ones actions that speak volumes of ones true character.
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November 26th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
You know what I find most interesting as an american citizen is how little other countries actually know about Americans living in the USA. I am an independent who didnot vote for GWB either of the two times that he was elected to the status of president of the United States. Many of my fellow citizens and I found the neocon regime barbaric and under Bush came the “Patriot Act” which of course wasnot patriotic at all. Then he began unconstitutional warrantless wiretapping of american citizens. Bush would override the US constitutional rules of law by using unconstitutional signing statements.He then went on to utilizing executive powers to undermine anything that congress might place in the american citizens favor(which doesnot happen often at all). Cameras were put in place that watch our every move and serves the dictatorial police state. protesters couldnot have freedom of speech to voice their objections and usually get put in jail. Bush got rid of posse Comitatus which doesn’t allow for soldiers to militarily patrol our streets. We have police officers now that are all Federalized under Bush, thus they are loyal to the federal government and donot protect and serve the citizens any longer. The police now look like black turtle swat teams and abuse citizens rights. Bush unconstitutionally and illegally and preemptively started a war in Iraq killing millions of innocent civilians. The whole world now knows that he lied about WMD as of course NONE were found. Bush then stated that Iraq had chemical weapons and a few were found that my country of the USA sold to Iraq in the 1st place. Of course the Bush regime neocons would never tell the american people this. America has been unconstitutionally at war with Afghanistan also for several years and only GOD knows when it will end. We are there mainly to guard the main pipeline for oil, and to guard the huge crop of poppie plants and to make sure that they make it to market for a hefty profit. With that said, I would to also let you know that president Obama promised many things during his campaign as many candidates who run for elections do. 1st off he promised to get rid of the unconstitutional “Patriot Act” which he recently and secretly resigned in order to continue with GWBs police state. He willnot reinstate posse comitatus so soldiers can just patrol the streets like they do in 3rd world countries. We supposedly have police for that duty,but I explained this earlier. Obama promised to get rid of dictatorial signing statements and said he would NEVER use them. Well, chalk that up to another failure to keep his promise. As the article alluded to was that Obama just hasn’t been given enough time to effect “change.” Well, no signing statements isnot a promise that is hard to keep ok? Obama now of course uses executive powers to override congress. Gitmo? Nope still open for business. How about trying to allow photos that would have punished the torturers? Nope, he sealed and classified them so noone could gain access for any trials to be held or any justice to be served.He continues GWBs wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and threatens Iran with sanctions. Not to mention Iran has now dropped the US dollar and the US government doesn’t like this one bit. We continue forces and fighting also in Pakistan. Our military remains in most every country throughout the world. There is so much more etc.. My response to your article is simple. Obamas image is like a “brand” of something new and of “Change.” His words flowed so eloquently until the teleprompters fall to the floor. For when this occurs, you find that underneath it all is mere words and fluff and it was the powerful corporations and lobbyists that bought and paid for this “brand and image” of Obama. Obama hasnot enacted on any of his promises when running for president and has only escalated GWBs old policies. GWB and Obama may look and sound different, but their “Actions” have been the exact same dictatorial tyrrany. Words are cheap and mean absolutely nothing, for it is ones actions that speak volumes of ones true character.