Column

Had he not won, the worst fears and prejudices about America would have been confirmed; now that he has come through, the Americans have redeemed themselves in the world's eyes.

For a brief moment last week, all of us became Americans. The global outburst of joy when it was announced that Barack Obama would be the next president of the United States was unprecedented. True, the US is the most powerful country in the world, but why should the rest of global humanity be so interested in their political and social processes? But such was the antipathy towards George W Bush that we wanted him, and by extension his party, humbled. Besides, Obama captured the imagination of the world in a way nothing and no one has in years and it seemed like the tidal wave of goodwill just swept him into office. Had he not won, the worst fears and prejudices about America would have been confirmed; now that he has come through, the Americans have redeemed themselves in the world's eyes. As for Obama, he is the man who can walk on water.

Now, a new dawn will shine over America and the world. Racism will gradually disappear, the economy will start functioning again, peace will come to the Middle-East, terrorism will vanish and intractable problems like the Kashmir tangle and world hunger will be solved. Such is the burden of expectation on Obama.

Everyone has seen Obama in his or her own way and has an agenda for him. For the liberals, he represents the best hope of doing away with some of the more pernicious aspects of conservative rule. They have a laundry list of things to be done, and urgently too, including everything from stopping torture in Guantanamo Bay to allowing gay marriages. Plus of course higher taxes on the rich and restoring the broken health care system of the US.

Blacks and other minorities will obviously want him to be more compassionate and caring about their needs. Though he did not position himself as a representative of the blacks, he cannot wish away his race. But if he shows any extra concern about one segment of the population, it could offend the others who might find him pandering to sectarian needs.

Globally, Obama will be expected to stand by his commitment to listen to other views and rely more on diplomacy than his predecessor did. Thus, none of that cowboy behaviour; instead showing a willingness to sit down and talk to even foes. Will that really happen? In the Middle East they do not particularly think so. The media in the region has given him a cautious welcome, but it would be wrong to assume that they see him as a fellow Muslim and therefore more sensitive to their point of view. Already commentators are wondering if he will be able to stand up to the “Jewish Lobby.” The New York Times has published blogs by Arabs which have comments like: “What will Syria's fate be under him? Will he give the green light to bomb us?” and “The Egyptian people are glad that Obama won despite their previous knowledge of his bias to Israel, and his VP is a Zionist.” They are hopeful about him, but are keeping their fingers crossed.

Which brings us to India. Will Obama, in his zeal to change the world, look at South Asia differently than the outgoing president did? India is the one country that had a good vibe with Bush — the entire country loved him, in the immortal words of Manmohan Singh. That is because Bush not only pushed for a closer strategic relationship with India, but also because the hyphenated connection with Pakistan was finally severed and the dreaded K-word was seldom used. The Indian establishment worries that the do-gooder spirit of the Democrats will prevail and the early noises about nominating Bill Clinton as the point man on Kashmir indicate that Obama will want to take a more pro-active role in this dispute. This is completely anathema to India. Add to that the reports that he will push for India to sign the nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Is it any wonder that there is nervousness in NewDelhi?

Most of all it is the people of the United States who will now look to some quick answers to their problems. Obama inherits a broken economy where people are hurting for real. Millions are finding their EMIs unaffordable and at the end of it, will be saddled with houses they have paid too much for. Job cuts are a growing reality. Institutions are failing. His priority will be to fix this in an effective way so that the real economy can be saved and America does not slip into a long recession.

All this is a tall order for anybody, but for someone who has almost become a messiah for our times, it is doubly difficult. In addition, the optics have to be perfect; every action of his will be examined that much more closely. And being human — he is human, yes — he will make mistakes and gaffes which disappoint his devotees.

Perhaps the best way to deal with this - for Obama, for his observers and for his millions of fans — is to now treat him like a normal leader of his country. He has an agenda, and he will try and fulfill it to the best of his ability. In the process, he will fumble and often he will let down a lot of people. But what he has shown is that he will be different — mainly for the good — than what we have seen so far. That by itself should be a relief.

Email: sidharth01@gmail.com