The Significance Of Barack Obama

So Barack Obama finally managed to become the first Black President of the United States. And convincingly so, thereby demonstrating the disillusionment of the American people with the muddle of aggression and complete lack of respect for justice that the George W Bush regime had come to represent. The fact is, more than a rejection of Mr. John Mccain, this was a vote for Obama, against the policies of the Republicans and against an unnecessary war in Iraq that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. As one correspondent wrote - it had almost become shameful for Americans to say where they belonged to, such was the loathing that greeted them in foreign shores. They have almost redeemed themselves and hope to regain their pride by this collective action.
However, the election campaign clearly brought out the fault lines in American society, in a world integrated by 24X7 Live TV. The questions of race, and whether Mr. Obama was a practising Christian or Muslim should not have been relevant in a society that holds all men to be equal. But that is an ideal---people, with their petty prejudices, are often less than perfect. Hence, there were worries that the 'Bradley effect' (where people are embarrassed to accept that they would rather vote for a white man purely for the reason that they are white, named apparently after a black Gubernatorial aspirant in the 1970s who led in opinion polls and ultimately lost in the hustings) would rob Mr. Obama of crucial votes on D-Day. Thankfully, that did not happen. America voted with its heart. It voted not for expedience, not for skin tone, not for experience, but for the man who stood for change. A change from fear, divisiveness and 'stuff happens' to hope and optimism.
The Bush years, were marked by Bushisms (which were funny) and by a shameful contempt for all norms of justice, international law and human rights---that was not-so-funny. Institutions like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay don't sit well with the Declaration of Indepedence and the Gettysburg Address. Martin Luther King's prophetic words " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" were drowned out by the aggressive rhetoric belted out by the Bush Administration. In an environment permeated by fear and insecurity in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration created further paranoia by citing the looming threat of 'Al-Qaeda' and linking them to the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) with the rogue military regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Whereas American intervention in Afghanistan against a regressive, fanatical and cruel regime is welcome, and perhaps even justified (even though it creates a dangerous precedent in international law and peacekeeping), the same cannot be said of its invasion of Iraq. Whether it was for oil contracts or to teach a dictator who thumbed his nose at America a lesson, it was an invasion launched on a foundation of falsehood.
Mr. Obama, hopefully, will take America away from this path by first, closing down the illegal and repressive Guantanamo Bay prison where foreigners are being held without trial and then either bringing them to justice or letting them go; and then concentrate on the really important issues like healthcare and the domestic economy.
People have been debating about whether Barrack Obama's election will be good for India in terms of his views on outsourcing (he has promised tax benefits for American companies which keep jobs in America), his ambivalent stand on Kashmir and the traditional Democratic leaning towards protectionism. However, these people are missing the significance of this event: Mr Obama represents---as his own book so succintly says---'The Audacity of Hope'. He represents the victory of a decent, educated man in politics----which often attracts, well, not exactly the kind of people you would like to marry your daughter to. And like Abraham Lincoln, his is an unlikely victory---as men of Finance like me would put it, a statistically 'tail event', an 'outlier'. The product of a brief union between a Kenyan student and a white young lady; abandoned by his natural father, Barack Obama Jr lived a fairly Bohemian and nomadic life that brought him to Asia for a considerable period of time. He then managed to educate himself in Columbia University and topped it off with a Masters in Law from Harvard. Even his political career started rather unremarkably---apparently he failed to even gain entry in to the Democrat convention in 2004.
But then, there he is---the first black President of the United States. I have heard him, and yes, he speaks well. After long years, here is a man in public life who seems to be saying more than rhetoric---whose earnesty seems to come through. Let us wish him well. He is an ideal for every voice of reason, every patriot who wants to, in the words of Theodore Roosevelt, "Dare mighty things" , anywhere in the world. Like a slightly odd-looking, tall, top hatted gentleman born about 200 years ago.