In the run-up to the U.S Presidential elections, while Barack Obama was on a whirl wind tour across the nation with promises of a new different world, friendly dispensation, assurance to rescue the nation from the worst economic recession of the 2007 with financial institutions and corporates crumbling down, the housing bubble bursts, sub prime mortgage lending crisis, throwing the whole of America into a financial turmoil, I was all praises for the great orator who could capture the attention of the whole world. His assurances to lift U.S from the deep ditch into which the previous dispensation under George Walker Bush had pushed into through his market driven, unregulated economy, Obama was optimism personified to set right the whole system. With regard to the already disturbed relations with various nations across the world, he was confident of bringing about a new world order, bringing peace and harmony to the entire humanity. Majority of us took his assurances for granted because in the history of mankind barring a minority, all universal citizens stand for, pray for, aspire for universal harmony. Our eulogies of Obama had no limits, or in other words sky was the limit. Nevertheless a few erudite international scholars and observers took his promises with a pinch of salt yet some other took his assurances with a tablespoonful of salt. Amidst the euphoria, we took them for detractors their propensity to find fault with anything or everything a gentleman president was about to venture into.
More than one year has gone by and the dust of euphoria has already settled down. Then came face to face with realities. Stark realities. The one we took as a “dove” was actually a “hawk” disguised as a “dove”.
U.S economy is still in a shambles except for some plus points here and there. Obama’s bailout of financial institutions with a nominal sum of US $ 789 billion and his latest health care and protection bill bringing 32 million more U.S citizens under insurance cover and a sum of US $ 17.5 billion to provide employment that also a pittance while taking into account the millions of unemployed who went jobless during the worst days economic recession could be seen as minor achievements while taking an overall view of the bigger picture.
Something is better than nothing.
But the apostle of peace, to some Missiah reborn to bring about universal harmony and peace finds himself in the garb of his predecessor.
High pressure tactics on other nations still continue, arm-twisting developing economies to play to its tunes still in full swing, for instance the latest reports emanating from man named Robert Blake who is holding the post of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia about their taking strong exceptions on coming to know of India and Pakistan’s decision to enter into an agreement on extending a gas-pipeline from Iran and warning both nations with dire consequences. Please note here a defiant Mohd Ahmadinijad, President, Iran is no mood to bow to the pressures of America and its allies to stop enrichment of uranium despite the threat of ‘crippling’ sanctions. How dare India and Pakistan entering into gas-pipeline agreement with such a nation like Iran? America’s exasperation knows no bounds.
Afghanistan is still in turmoil. The very genesis of Afghan conundrum dates back to decades. First came the intervention of then Soviet Union and after the withdrawal of Soviet Union in 1989 came Taliban, it formed a Government and introduced Shariat laws, hanged its erstwhile rulers in Public after summary trial, many stoned to death that also in public, the ruthless Talibanese demolished the centuries old monuments, Buddhist statues – ‘Balmian Buddha’ a statue well known across the world as the biggest ever reduced to a heap of rubble, thus destroying a rich heritage, women beaten up, shackled and confined to loneliness in their homes, denying them the right to educations, introduced barbaric laws thus erasing the last vestige of culture and civilization. To the help of the Taliban Government, Al-Qaeda, the dreaded terrorist outfit was very much there and those former good boys of American Government, which provided them with cash and logistical support to fight against the erstwhile Soviet Union, in due course turned out to be USA’s bitter opponents who displayed the audacity and courage to bombard the twin towers of World Trade Centre in 2001 turning it into a heap of dust killing more than 3000 people. The wheel was turning a full circle.
A seething George.W.Bush vowing to bring the Al-Qaeda elements to justice, followed by a war along with its allies to capture Osama dead or alive, Afghanistan was literally turning into a towering inferno.
Osama still elusive, Ayman-Al-Zawahiri still at large, Taliban still on the rampage, a man in the garb of President-Hamid Karzai sits with an olive branch in his extending to the so-called soft Taliban elements to join him so also the former bete noire Pakistan and U.S and its NATO allies on the hunt for the hard-core elements embedded in their safe havens in the difficult terrains of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) wreaking havoc all the way with massive bombings and drone attacks.
Barack Obama last week paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan, ostensibly to boost the morale of US soldiers, identified himself with them, gave them sweet promises ranging from pay-hike education to their siblings and children back home, welfare of their families, injecting them with high doses of inspiration and killer- instinct (what else a ‘dove’ could do to his soldiers and his country) and took the same flight back to home.
The neighboring country Pakistan is burning literally. All kinds of militant elements, all hard-core - Tehreek- E- Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hisbul Mujahiddeen Jaish-e-Mohammed aiming their guns towards India and their motherland itself not Afghanistan, amply supported by the “messenger of world peace” beloved ally U.S.A with cash and kind. What more is needed?
As Hassan Suroor, the U.K correspondent of national daily The Hindu pointed out in his column The London News Letter, “USA is always pragmatic and to get its goals fulfilled it has no compunctions to befriend a country and later leave it in the lurch after its help is no more needed. A has - been ally of U.S –U.K finds itself ditched but it took 60 years to learn about it. Gordon Brown’s visit to U.S and his futile efforts at least five times to have an appointment with President Obama were turned down mercilessly. The Chinese President Hu Jintao is a man of high stature to U.S. now since China is a worthful friend at present compared to U.K.
War and Peace? No. ‘War vs Peace’? No. “War is peace?” Yes. This is the latest theory conceived by none other than 2009 Nobel Prize Winner for Peace, Barack Obama the great. After all a “Change we can believe in”, that is the “Audacity of Hope”
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