B. R. GOWANI
Power politics is dirty. It’s a universal fact. The ultimate goal of politicians (or for that matter, business persons, religious leaders, and others) is to reach the top. To attain that aim, they would go to any extent. In the political arena, the work of the opponent is that of a watchman, that is, to observe carefully that the government is not doing any thing which it was not assigned to do. But it also happens that the opponent opposes just for the sake of opposing–even when that opposition may look obviously ridiculous.
At present, President Barack Obama is under attack from many quarters. The reasons given are: His indecisiveness in regards to Libya; that he has done too little too late; that he hasn’t clarified the US position in regards to Libya.
Indecisiveness is not always bad
There is nothing wrong in being indecisive about not going to war against another country which has neither threatened nor attacked the United States. This strange idea is floated by the hawks (liberals, conservatives, and the press).
Obama can only be accused of indecisiveness when its northern neighbor Canada or its southern neighbor Mexico attacks this country and he is thinking whether to fight back or to wait and resolve it diplomatically.
One reason for Obama’s reluctance to open another front can be that Libya is a Muslim country; already, the US is involved in two and a half wars against Muslim countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, and half war in Pakistan). Besides, many people remember his Cairo speech. So he has to be little careful. Even though, he is carrying on most of the policies of the former Bush Jr. government, his non-aggressive posture and a pleasant-looking personality, unlike that of Bush, but like Bill Clinton, softens up some of the people who would otherwise want to be harsh to him.
Many people in the Third World see Obama, because of his color, as one of their own. So when Obama does anything which is harmful to the Third World, it is very painful for them because it is coming from one of their own. Obama must be aware of this fact too.
Anyway, his indecisiveness about Libya was not that steadfast. The women in his administration were able to sway him on their side in joining France and Britain in another war.
The Hillary factor
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have been in the White House today if Obama had lost the presidential elections. It is almost certain that she will be running for President in 2016, because in 2012 Obama will be running for the second term. But if Hillary wants to try her luck in 2012, then nobody can stop her, she just has to resign a year earlier in order to campaign. However, talking to a US reporter, she indicated that she’ll stay in her post till the next transition and then she’ll resign, as per her earlier announcement.
One wonders that while the economy is in a mess, there are expectations that more people will lose jobs due to the Japanese tragedy, Obama is besieged on many fronts, the right wing nuts’ (including that idiot Donald Trump) doubts about Obama’s citizenship, why did Hillary listened to Susan Rice and Samantha Power to open up a new war front in North Africa?
Was her decision for the war made with some sort of design where by Obama emerges as weak and indecisive and she herself comes out as brave and decisive?
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com