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| Jamal Mecklai: God bless you, Mr Obama |
| Jamal Mecklai / New Delhi Dec 25, 2009, 00:40 IST |
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While many of his fans, particularly in the US, appear disappointed, I, for one, believe that Mr Obama has had an extraordinarily successful first year as president.
The immediate order of business when he took charge was, of course, the global financial crisis. Disregarding the Chicken Littles, who were preparing for the end of the world, Mr Obama’s team, in coordination with fiscal and monetary teams all over the world, turned on the Big Tap, and the results are there for all to see. Clearly, the worst is behind us, although there is still much to be done in creating a sound exit. Equally important, there is a huge amount still pending in creating greater accountability in financial markets. But I have little doubt that this is still marked in red on Obama’s TO DO agenda, probably with an 18-24 month timeline.
The other crisis situation that faced (and still faces) America and the world was (is) Afghanistan/Pakistan. The threat to America from Al Qaeda appears to have morphed into a threat to the world (and particularly India) from the Taliban, such as it is. To me, it was very loud that almost immediately — a couple of months — after Mr Obama came into office, there was a definitive change in the US relationship with Pakistan, making it the linchpin for resolution of the problem.
The recent increase in troops to Afghanistan together with a specific exit start date, to my mind, ups the ante for resolution, and I have little doubt that over the next 12 months, we will see sustained changes in the region. Critically, India has a key role to play, and with Dr Manmohan Singh less hampered by domestic political considerations (except the sudden Telangana, oy vey), I would expect some dramatic changes in Indo-Pak relations in 2010.
Domestically, Mr Obama has stuck doggedly to getting the US health care albatross into the public gaze. And while the bill that finally comes through may be disappointing to many — perhaps, most — people, the fact is that creating real competition to the insurance companies by setting up a non-profit insurance option will certainly loosen the grip of the medical-financial-legal complex. Of course, the devil, as always, will be in the details and implementation, but, as with the restructuring of the financial infrastructure, I have little doubt that Mr Obama is committed to ensuring accountability in health care costs and, critically, that even low income Americans can get reasonable health care. Success may spill over into his second term, but succeed he will.
Not content with all of this, he has also changed the climate on climate change. The disinterest shown by the US at Kyoto has been turned on its head with the US suddenly becoming one of prime movers on climate change. Mr Obama, in terms of his beliefs, is Al Gore without the histrionics, and the good news is that with the US now firmly on board, China and India are coming on board as well. Of course, everybody will jockey around to get the best deal — business is business, after all — but there is no doubt that post-Copenhagen, the world is set on a more sustainable path.
And then, of course, there’s the whole global image thing. Mr Obama has completely changed the way the world looks at the US. And while many in the US appear uncomfortable with this, seeing it as a capitulation from being “the greatest nation in the world”, it is, in reality, no such thing. Rather this image change is strategically crucial to the success of virtually every US policy. Remember the speech in Cairo early in the presidency — this perception of openness to normal Muslims is part of the reason that US policy in Af-Pak looks to be gaining traction and appears to have a greater chance of success. Iran and the Israel-Palestine conflict, too, have more chances of success today since America is seen as being more open-minded and actively engaged.
Again, this new, more engaging and positive negotiating attitude has doubtless made it easier for the Chinese to become more accommodating on exchange rates, which is critical for the medium-term resolution of global financial imbalances.
All in all, an excellent year, opinion polls notwithstanding. In fact, the only still-egregious issue that Mr Obama hasn’t touched yet — and, make no mistake, he will address it in time — is domestic gun control. It may turn out to be personally dangerous, but he’s a brave man. In any event, that’s for his second term.
For right now, God bless you, Mr Obama. And give Michelle a kiss from me.
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