Americans stuck with the devils they know

NOV 4, 2009 – The US foreign policy under President Barack Obama has taken a more conciliatory approach as compared to the swashbuckling style of his predecessor George Bush Jr.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has zigged-zagged around the world trying to patch up the wounded relations as a result of the previous administration’s policies with potential partners for the strategic importance of the US.

The strain that was heightened by Bush’s War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq has left a deep scar among many Muslims in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Following the war, Muslims generally view the Americans or Westerners with great distrust and suspicion.

This prejudice has been easily taken advantage of by radicals and extremists through the Al-Qaeda and Taleban in the Middle East as well as the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf in Southeast Asia.

Subsequent to the War on Terror, sermons in mosques, madrasahs and religious schools around the world has taken aim at the US and the West calling them Great Satan, Imperialists and the like.

Imams in mosques and madrasahs have been calling Muslims worldwide to defend their brothers in Iraq and Afghanistan, hence the pockets of foreign forces that slipped into Iraq and Afghanistan to defend the Muslim countries against US’ aggression.

At the same time, the Sept 11 tragedy has also made Muslims in the Western world an easy target for hate seekers and nationalists’ mob.

The ignorance of these bigots is ridiculously idiotic to the extent that some of them attacked Sikhs who are identified by their turbans which, to their western eyes, are similar to what the Arabs wear.

9/11, followed by the war against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein has increased the gap between the Muslim world and the US-Western civilisation.

The siege mentality has overwhelmingly taken over the minds of many Muslims to the point that anything related to US or the West is being viewed with great suspicion.

This has also been exacerbated by Bush’s labelling of Jihadists and Wahabbism on the radicals.

Extremists’ movements worldwide have been fuelled with added conviction and fervour in their attacks against the US, Israel and the West.

These rogue groups have caused mayhem at places with high concentration of Westerners as well as economically important cities all around the world.

The US, on the other hand, has had to grapple with partners that are embroiled in their own domestic problems.

Iraq has been in turmoil from the moment Saddam Hussein was kicked out from the city of Baghdad with Sunnis and Shiites embroiled in a civil war jostling to fill in the vacuum left by the larger-than-life figure of Saddam.

Afghanistan’s President Hamed Karzai has been fighting the perception of being a stooge for the US and also rife with allegations of corruption and tainted democracy.

Similar problems in the sultanates of Middle Eastern countries, Palestine, Egypt, Pakistan and Southeast Asian Muslim countries have further complicate the situation faced by Obama.

Much of the problems have arisen due to the fact that the US has been grooming allies that will be “friendly” to them.

These allies in the Muslim world are notoriously known to flout democratic principles, embezzled in corruption scandals and also autocratic in their governance.

Obama has inherited a foreign policy that rewards yes-man and the goodies has created obnoxious and arrogant creatures devoid of the supposedly noble values that Americans are synonymous with – democracy, transparency and good governance.

It is time that the Obama put the respect of the world community back into US’ leadership by ensuring justice and fair play in their dealing with the Muslim world on the issue of Palestine, corruption, democracy and nuclear disarmament.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Nov 4, 2009

Hope that we can believe in?

JAN 23, 2009 — While the new 44th President of the United States took his oath of office on a pristine yet chilly Tuesday in Washington DC, Americans and the rest of the world were brimming with hope that the most powerful man on earth will bring actual change from a weary period of President George Bush Jr.
On one hand, it speaks volumes about the legacy of Bush — the failing US economy, the disastrous war on terror which led to the Iraq War followed by the commissioning of the notorious Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and many other embarrassing events for the former US President.
However, the more important fact is that Americans and the world bought into the "Politics of Hope" that is represented by a slim and slender built man of mix parentage — white Caucasian and black African — called Barack Hussein Obama.
The political message that was creatively and innovatively crafted by Obama's campaign team painted a persona of a superhero whose powers are that he will change the world with his ability to listen and his openness for direct engagement as well as dialogue with the most venomous of enemies — Iran, Hamas, maybe even Osama bin Laden.
Many actually believed in the rhetoric of "Change We Can Believe In" that has being designed to build hope among people desperate for a change in the country's policies and actions.
The campaign played on the emotions of the people who are tired and despised Bush's gung-ho and Texan swagger style of administration.
The inspiring political advertising campaign created a momentum which became a wave and almost everyone jumped onto the bandwagon which was very appealing to the masses.
Whether Obama and his team realised it or not, they managed to raise the expectations of Americans and the rest of the world so high that many became sceptical even before he was sworn into office.
John McCain may just be thanking his lucky stars that he lost the presidential elections and is not in Obama's position to satisfy the thirst of an increasingly critical and to a certain extent narcissistic American public.
Obama promised in his first official public speech as President of US that he will introduce an era of openness — which is all good and well.
However, Americans will not be satisfied with just inspiring leadership and a motivational almost evangelical leader.
Americans will be looking for tangible and empirical evidence of improvements coupled to the "era of openness".
Being an American liberal, Obama is likely to project some protectionist policies to ensure that he delivers the election promises he made.
Obama promised that he will introduce an economic stimulus package that will create three million new jobs; this smells much like big government — big spending and a very liberal policy (socialist in Malaysian terms).
This means that a big chunk of the stimulus package worth some US$825 billion (RM2.9 trillion) or even US$1 trillion, for that matter, will be spent on "housekeeping" to improve the local domestic economy with lesser priority on international trade.
The concept of free trade which has been the cornerstone of a successful US economy will be put in the backseat for the time being.
However, being the "open" leader he is, the outlook of US foreign policy may create a persona that the US is no longer the world's policeman projected during the Bush era but rather a conciliatory leader for the rest of the world.
With the humanitarian crisis in Gaza now settled due to the Israeli pullout and Hamas ceasefire, Obama has to take advantage of this situation to ensure that engagements to kickstart the peace process are revived.
However, this means nothing if we look at Obama's close affinity to the Zionist cause — which he considers a just idea and likens the struggle for the betterment of the Jews to the civil rights movement in the US.
He has also put conditions before agreeing for dialogue or engagement with Hamas, which are to recognise Israel, abandon terrorism activities and abide by previous peace accords.
Whether Hamas is brave enough to accede to these conditions remains to be seen but at the same time, would Israel want to talk to the very people who have been shooting Qassam rockets into their homes?
The US economy, the Middle East peace process, the Iraq War, etc are among the many issues plaguing the US and the world, and Obama has to hit the ground running from Day One.
Soon, many pessimists will rise to turn the tables on Obama unless he delivers results rather than just promise that heaven will fall to grace the earth.

- published in The Malaysian Insider : Jan 23, 2009