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12 November 2012 By Saeed Qureshi
President Obama has made
history by winning the second term as the
African-American president. His re-election as the
president of the United States offers an eloquent and
incontrovertible testimony to the magnificent
democratic culture that this great country nurtures.
There were colliding claims and divergent conjectures
by the respective contenders and their supporters
about the ensured success of their party.
But obviously it is only
one candidate that comes on top and wins the laurels.
That is President
Barack Obama
who scored a stunning victory that would enable him to
continue his agenda of rehabilitating United States.
His paramount priority by all reckoning would be to
rekindle the smoldering economy and put new vitality
and strength into it. That is the most outstanding
pledge that he has held out to the Americans and which
he must fulfill.
If economy is revitalized,
the country would move forward in diverse disciplines.
A healthy and robust economy would animate auto
industry. It would be instrumental in creation of
jobs, stabilizing the shaky social security system,
modernizing the stagnant and funds-starved education
system, providing affordable healthcare, bolstering
the stalled research work and creating modern
infrastructure like highways and bridges.
In a divided Congress whose
two horns are caught by two ideologically hostile
parties, the fulfillment of president Obama's
ambitious agenda for turning a new leaf and bringing
back the economic grandeur and refurbishing the
bruised image of America as a war monger may look a
tall order.
The United States' most
urgent priority is to re-calibrate its external and
internal rudder to maintain its stature of the world
leader both economically and militarily albeit through
goodwill and peaceful means. Besides, he has to reduce
the deficit, reform the tax code, and lessen
dependence on imported oil and streamline the messy
immigration system.
The marvelous acceptance
speech of the triumphant president provides a clue to
what could be his vision with regard to a new world
order under the American aegis. It surmises from his
address that he intends to lessen American involvement
in wars and military conflicts around the world. That
is a spectacular and long overdue call, finally echoed
by a president who has come to the stark realization
that it was time to make this war afflicted planet an
abode of peace and global fraternity.
While America's military
would remain supreme and second to none, it would be
employed sparingly, needed to disengage the combatants
or to restore peace in hot spots. Henceforth,
hopefully, the American military might not be
marshaled as an instrument of fomenting or promoting
the ideological or colonial wars. In the backdrop of
counterproductive military invasions of Afghanistan
and Iraq, the United States may desist from sending
its forces for mere adventures or to flex its military
muscle or to fix the rogue states.
Perhaps the time is up for
America to annihilate and invade the countries that
would not be in the American camp or that would be
aloof in serving the American interests in distant
lands. For America and for the new pacifist president
it is time to win the hearts and minds of the
international community even ideological foes as
socialism or communism.
The world in moving into a
tough competition focused on the technological
breakthroughs and economic advancements. For that
laudable end, domestic and international peaceful
environment and cordiality is indispensable. The other
compelling factor that would impel America to wind up
its military maneuvers and stationing of forces aboard
is its all time high debt of 16 trillion dollars. This
staggering debt would take half a century to be wiped
off or curtained. Ironically America as the monarch of
the capitalist world happens to be the most indebted
nation.
These are daunting
challenges and gubernatorial thorny issues within
America that need a break from the military spending
and instead boosting of economy so that the American
people can be saved from falling into poverty spiral.
A sagacious approach and bold new vision is imperative
to maintain the social safety nets and benefits that
help people to put food on the table, get medical care
when sick, less expensive gas for their automobiles
and afford education to the highest level.
American people are not
used to nor would accept the austerity measures that
have been lately introduced in countries with
dwindling economies. One can witness an economic
tsunami overtaking the western countries notably
France, Spain, Italy, Greece and swallowing their
economic potential and viability as social welfare
societies.
If the economic Magna-Carta of
reforms is not unfurled in United States by
concurrently keeping the present level of social
comforts, this country would too come under the crunch
of an economic stagnation and lowering quality of
life. That would be bleak trend for country that has
been maintaining its lead in prosperity, economic
ascendancy and supremacy in military power.
America has lost countless
soldiers in military conflicts starting from the WWII
to the present rife in Afghanistan. The number of
veterans including the disabled has reached 29
million. Eradication or bracing against the global
terrorism should not be only American problem. It has
assumed global proportions and therefore, becomes the
collective responsibility of the international
community to be dealt with. Invasion and occupation of
countries accused of hosting terrorist bands has
proved to be immensely flawed.
Starting abruptly an
economic war with China that has been one of the
outstanding trade partners of the United States, would
be harmful. It would lead to collateral damage at
least till such time that a network of local small and
medium sized industries is created within America. The
Chinese cheap goods especially one dollar items
flooding the American markets cannot be blocked so
soon.
If there is no replacement
of the inexpensive merchandise from China, there would
be a vacuum domestically. The people will have to buy
local products that would be several times more
expensive. China is incidentally the biggest lender to
United States and any knee-jerk reaction would
adversely boomerang.
However, curtailing or
winding up of overseas American industries or
outsourcing is what the Obama administration must take
up without loss of time. Outsourcing is double edged
sword. It has deprived America of the creation of
domestic jobs and investment that go abroad and make
other countries prosperous at the cost of the local
industries.
Moreover, under the guise
of outsourcing incompetent and unwanted workforce is
pushed into America by the outsourcing companies and
private manpower cartels, by taking graft money from
most of them. This hoax must stop and the
establishment of industries in foreign lands must stop
or done with extreme caution to obviate the loss of
jobs for the American at home.
The United State must not
penalize Iran by way of stringent sanctions that have
disastrously affected the people of Iran. For instance
the life saving drugs are scare in Iran causing loss
of life in that country. This is a humanitarian issue
and any embargo on export or import of food items, or
medicines ought not to be banned by United States and
the international community. Iran is ready to talk on
her controversial nuclear program and if the talks
bear fruit then the crippling sanctions must be
lifted.
Any war or military action
imposed on Iran would be calamitous and may harm
American- friendly and protégé states. A military
action as being pushed by Israel may result in also
the destruction of that beleaguered tiny state along
with the destruction of Iran partially or wholly. The
saner and the wisest policy should be to resolve this
issue through peaceful means.
The winding up of wars by
President Obama is most admirable step that would
gradually end the long drawn spell of sufferings for
both Iraqi and Afghan people. While the wars are
coming to a close in both these war-torn countries,
there is no wisdom or justification for starting
another war in the Middle East to nail down Iran.
The Arab spring that was
spearheaded by the people of the respective countries
and supported and sustained by the West and
more specifically by America must continue to expand
further. Gradually, the entire region of the Middle
East would be blessed with representative and popular
dispensations as in Egypt and Tunisia; although still
in their infancy. The democratic culture would
consolidate and take roots over a period of time and
not so soon. We must be patients and bear with the
emerging patterns of liberty, freedoms, human rights,
empowerment of the people and shaping up of mutually
integrated peaceful world community.
The United State bears the
paramount responsibility to make this dream come true
as she possesses the necessary resources and power to
lead the humanity towards a better future, global
peace and universal prosperity. With determination and
sincerity this milestone can be achieved. |
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