African-American president, the United States turned a page and closed
a chapter. Obama's spectacular success story is packed with poignant,
and powerful, symbolism. If he accepted the Democratic nomination last
August on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's `I Have A Dream'
speech, his inauguration follows the American holiday in memory of
King. It is the culmination of an extraordinary story and a new
beginning.
Obama rode on a ticket for change. A country left bitter, fearful and
divided by eight years of George W Bush's presidency, welcomed him
with relief and expectation. The world, which had viewed America with
growing alarm during these years, tuned in to Obama as well. He
represented hope that America would manage its own house responsibly
and favour consensus and cooperation while dealing with the world. But
as enormous as his moment in history are the challenges Obama will
face from day one.
Undoubtedly, the gloomy economy will consume much of the new
president's energies and he has so far shown signs of clear thinking
on how to get America up on its feet again. Equally tough are the
assortment of challenges that will present themselves on Obama's
foreign policy plate. One war needs to be wound down responsibly while
America's attention has to shift to the real battleground in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama cannot afford to engage Pakistan only
to tackle al-Qaeda and the Taliban. To continue the world's war
against terror, he will have to pursue the other extremist outfits
like Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front organisations which export violence
from that country. They have had a generally free run despite
Pakistan's claims to the contrary. For the sake of the world's
security, Obama must press Islamabad to clamp down on these groups and
close down their bases, something that the Bush administration failed
to do for most of its run. And then there is the Middle East mess.
Trying to achieve a degree of resolution there will require fresh
commitment and thinking from Washington.
It is evident that Obama will have to hit the ground running. There
are soaring expectations which cannot be all fulfilled. But he has a
good base of credibility to start from. Opinion polls show he enjoys
close to 80 per cent approval ratings as he picks up the keys to the
White House and that the American people, across political divides,
are willing to give him a chance and their time. His commitment to
consultative governance while being firmly in charge, and the A-list
team he has picked, would hopefully serve America and the world well.
Obama's inauguration party which has seen millions of Americans pour
onto the streets to have a blast is a fine celebration of democratic
ideals and values. Democracy's enabling promises are why Americans and
those who share similar values elsewhere are raising a toast as they
welcome President Barack Hussein Obama.
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