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Amanda Roraback's World in a Nutshell |
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OBAMA AND THE WORLD |
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Most of the world erupted in celebration when U.S. president-elect, Barack Obama, was chosen to be the next president of the United States. Most countries welcomed the change. A few feared Obama's plans for a new direction. Here are some of the reactions:
KUDOS
CRITICISMS
RUSSIA For the most part, the Russian people have great respect for Obama and favored him over the alternatives: Hillary Clinton (who said that "Putin has no soul") and Senator McCain (who said he "looked into Putin's eyes and saw KGB"). The Russians agreed with Obama's health care and education policies and liked Obama's goal of withdrawing troops from Iraq, which the Russians believe has caused the weakening of the dollar (Russians have been keeping their saving in U.S. currency for over a decade). Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, however, expressed concern over the planned U.S. missile-defense program that would put radars and missiles in the Czech Republic and Poland -- which Obama supported. The U.S. says that the goal of the bases would be to defend Europe from a possible attack from Iran. Russians think the system is aimed at them. SAUDI ARABIA The Saudi Arabian rulers have had close ties with the Bush family and the Republicans for many years and fear a threat to their status under an Obama administration. Obama's pledge to end U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil within 10 years is particularly disturbing to Saudi Arabia's rulers. Less dependence on Arabian oil would mean less reliance on the Saudi royal family to keep the spigots open. Without their privileged status, the royal family may end up being pressured by the United States to make changes, for example by introducing democracy which would likely transfer power to Islamic fundamentalists who dominate the region. Peace in Iraq and a possible thaw of relations between the United States and Iran may also strengthen the role of Shi'ite Muslims in the region (more than 60% of Iraq's population and about 90% of Iran's population consider themselves Shi'ite Muslim, Saudi Arabia's population is predominantly Sunni Muslim). CUBA Barack Obama has pledged to lift family travel restrictions that force Cuban-Americans to wait three years between 14-day visits with relatives on the island. He also vowed to lift the cap on how much money Cuban-Americans can send to their relatives (currently limited to $1,200 per year) and said that he would be willing to meet with Cuban leader Raul Castro (Fidel Castro's brother). Obama's plans have drawn criticism from conservative Cuban-Americans who call him naive and weak on foreign policy issues. They would like to see the Cuban government take concrete steps, like releasing political prisoners, allowing free media or scheduling internationally-monitored free elections before Obama lends legitimacy to the regime by scheduling a meeting. Others welcomed Obama's virtual extension of an olive branch to the Cuban regime claiming 45-years of economic embargo has only hurt the Cuban people without having any effect on the Cuban regime (except, possibly, to strengthen their positions vis-à-vis the capitalist "enemy"). Barack Obama: "I think our policy has been a failure. I mean the fact is that during my entire lifetime Cuba has been isolated but has not made progress when it comes to the issues of political rights and personal freedoms that are so important to the people of Cuba. John F. Kennedy once said that we should never negotiate out of fear, but we should never fear to negotiate. And this moment, this opportunity when Fidel Castro has finally stepped down, I think is one that we should try to take advantage of." IRAN Perhaps one of the most surprising and earnest celebrations for Obama's victory has come from Iran. Even the President-elect's name, "Barack Hussein Obama" (loosely translated in Farsi as "Blessed Hussein is with us") has been taken as a good omen. (Imam Hussein, the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, is considered one of the holiest figures in Shi'ite Islam). Obama's promise to meet directly with Iran's leaders and engage in a level of "aggressive personal diplomacy" was criticized by conservative Americans as too idealistic and naive. For the Iranians the prospect of mended fences inspires hope that the new American president might bring an end to economic sanctions. The sanctions have forced Iranian businesses to rely on third parties to conduct trade costing the country billions of dollars and affecting all Iranians economically. Financial woes in Iran existed even before the global economic crisis and the drop in the price of oil. The hit to Iran's economy has been blamed on the current Iranian administration which, in the minds of some, has been focusing more on the development of its nuclear program and the political battle with the U.S. than taking care of domestic issues. (see Iranian economists blame Ahmadinejad). Perhaps sensing a drop in his popularity ratings ahead of elections in June 2009, Iran's President Ahmadinejad sent a congratulatory letter to the admired American President-elect. As did the son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, (a rival to Iran's current religious regime) who said Obama's victory offered hope to the Iranian people "struggling for the realization of their individual liberties." Barack Obama on Iran: "We would engage in a level of aggressive personal diplomacy in which a whole host of issues are on the table...Iran and Syria would start changing their behavior if they started seeing that they had some incentives to do so, but right now the only incentive that exists is our president suggesting that if you do what we tell you, we may not blow you up.. A serious coordinated diplomatic effort will, if nothing else, change world opinion about our approach to Iran and will strengthen our ability should they choose not to stand down on the nuclear issue, for example, or to continue to engage in hostile activity even if directly inside Iraq."
To Africans, the election of a black man to the highest political office in the world means the dawn of a new era. Perhaps unrealistically they hope that Obama, whose father is Kenyan, will put Africa at the top of the list in terms of priorities. In Kenya as in other parts of the continent, successful family members are expected to help their less fortunate kin. To Africans, this translates into financial aid to help them build schools, fund transportation and other projects and easy-to-acquire visas to travel to the U.S. Whether that aid comes or not, to the Africans the election of a an African-American will translate into greater respect for dark-skinned people. PAKISTAN
During the presidential debates
between candidates Senator
McCain and Senator Obama, the
President-elect talked about the need to find a
solution to the Kashmir crisis between Pakistan and
India so that Pakistan could focus on hunting down Islamic
militants on its north-western frontier. Obama's
comment exhibited hi But, Obama also criticized the Pakistani regime for failing to strike at al Qaeda targets and accused the country's military of misallocating American funds. Even more incendiary, Obama said he would be willing to attack targets inside Pakistan with or without approval from Pakistan. The comments caused much unease within Pakistan's new government which is already navigating along a thin line between maintaining good relations with the United States and serving the Pakistani people (many of whom support the Taliban) -- especially as U.S. missiles aimed at militants result in civilian casualties (in the last three months, American forces have carried out more than 20 missile attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas). Pakistan is one of only a few countries surveyed that expected the Obama presidency to bring a turn for the worse. Other countries that favored McCain over Obama included Cambodia, Laos, teh Philippines and Georgia. MEXICO During the debates with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Obama said that he planned to revisit the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico and hold annual meetings with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon. (According to Obama, outgoing President George W. Bush, was too preoccupied with the Iraq War to extend Calderon the time and respect he deserved). Mexico, Obama opined, should be valued as an important bridge to Latin America. Regarding the estimated 30,000 Mexicans who cross the border into the U.S. every year, Obama said he wanted to crackdown on illegal immigration while lessening the incentive to emigrate by helping Mexico develop its own economy and investing in Mexican businesses. Like Africans, Mexicans also see the election of a black man as evidence that the U.S. is entering a new age of racial enlightenment and hope that Obama will live up to his promise to combat hate crimes against Latinos in the U.S. (Racism against Afro-Mexicans remains a problem south of the border.) Lastly, Obama said he was committed to fighting drug trafficking cartels, arms smugglers and money launderers that threatened both Americans and Mexicans.
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s understanding
of Pakistan's need to maintain "strategic depth"
in the northwest (Afghanistan) to counter India's
influence to the southeast.