November 17, 2008--Obama World
While the pundit class is pleasuring itself over the prospect of Hillary Clinton joining Barack Obama’s Team of Rivals by becoming his Secretary of State, elsewhere in the real world things are beginning to change even more dramatically.
While it may not be entirely fair to attribute some of these changes to Obama’s election, it is hard to suggest that there is no connection whatsoever. It has of course been certain that the Bush administration will leave office on January 20th, but it had also been widely anticipated for some time that Barack Obama was likely to be elected and thus key players and institutions worldwide have been moving in new directions that reflect and perhaps are beginning to conform to what has now come to pass.
As examples, three reports in today’s New York Times:
Iraq’s cabinet yesterday approved a security agreement that calls for the full withdrawal of foreign troops by the end of 2011. While this still needs to be approved by the Iraqi parliament, the leaders of all the major political blocs there support this timetable and thus it is almost certain it will be passed. This plan is in virtual alignment with Barack Obama pledge to remove all US military personnel within 18 months of taking office. Coincidence? I doubt it.
Meanwhile, with regard to our other war—the one we are waging with less and less success in Afghanistan—President Hamid Karzai, also yesterday, said that he would guarantee the safety of Taliban leader Mullah Mohamed Omar (remember him?) if he agreed to come to a meeting to talk about a peaceful agreement to the conflict that continues to rage across the region.
Karsai is not naïve, saying “Right now, I have to hear it from the Taliban leadership, that they are willing to have peace in Afghanistan. They must prove themselves.”
And he is not playing the patsy any more to the US and Western powers who have tens of thousands of troops in his neighborhood. To them he said, “If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, the international community has two choices: remove me, or leave if they disagree.” (See article linked below.)
Who is it who has been saying that we have to find ways to negotiate deals with our enemies? Our new president elect? Coincidence? I wonder.
And then look at what is happening in Europe. If any have been wondering how long it might take for a Germany or a France or an England to see the rise to political power of members of their various minority communities—mainly Islamic people—look no further than what happened within the Green Party in Germany again this weekend.
The Green Party is not a fringy Ralph-Nader-like operation but one of the country’s major parties, and they just elected the son of Turkish immigrants to its top post. Cem Ozdemir was born in southern Germany to parents who came to Germany as gastarbeiters, guest workers, back in the 1960s.
Gastarbeiters, like other guests, were supposed to come for a while and then leave, but millions stayed on and have not been widely embraced. Perhaps not until now. We will see how Mr. Ozdemir fares when he runs for chancellor against Angela Merkel. Undoubtedly not all that well, but neither did Jessie Jackson when he first ran for the presidency.
Coincidence? Too soon to say. But not uninteresting.
While it may not be entirely fair to attribute some of these changes to Obama’s election, it is hard to suggest that there is no connection whatsoever. It has of course been certain that the Bush administration will leave office on January 20th, but it had also been widely anticipated for some time that Barack Obama was likely to be elected and thus key players and institutions worldwide have been moving in new directions that reflect and perhaps are beginning to conform to what has now come to pass.
As examples, three reports in today’s New York Times:
Iraq’s cabinet yesterday approved a security agreement that calls for the full withdrawal of foreign troops by the end of 2011. While this still needs to be approved by the Iraqi parliament, the leaders of all the major political blocs there support this timetable and thus it is almost certain it will be passed. This plan is in virtual alignment with Barack Obama pledge to remove all US military personnel within 18 months of taking office. Coincidence? I doubt it.
Meanwhile, with regard to our other war—the one we are waging with less and less success in Afghanistan—President Hamid Karzai, also yesterday, said that he would guarantee the safety of Taliban leader Mullah Mohamed Omar (remember him?) if he agreed to come to a meeting to talk about a peaceful agreement to the conflict that continues to rage across the region.
Karsai is not naïve, saying “Right now, I have to hear it from the Taliban leadership, that they are willing to have peace in Afghanistan. They must prove themselves.”
And he is not playing the patsy any more to the US and Western powers who have tens of thousands of troops in his neighborhood. To them he said, “If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, the international community has two choices: remove me, or leave if they disagree.” (See article linked below.)
Who is it who has been saying that we have to find ways to negotiate deals with our enemies? Our new president elect? Coincidence? I wonder.
And then look at what is happening in Europe. If any have been wondering how long it might take for a Germany or a France or an England to see the rise to political power of members of their various minority communities—mainly Islamic people—look no further than what happened within the Green Party in Germany again this weekend.
The Green Party is not a fringy Ralph-Nader-like operation but one of the country’s major parties, and they just elected the son of Turkish immigrants to its top post. Cem Ozdemir was born in southern Germany to parents who came to Germany as gastarbeiters, guest workers, back in the 1960s.
Gastarbeiters, like other guests, were supposed to come for a while and then leave, but millions stayed on and have not been widely embraced. Perhaps not until now. We will see how Mr. Ozdemir fares when he runs for chancellor against Angela Merkel. Undoubtedly not all that well, but neither did Jessie Jackson when he first ran for the presidency.
Coincidence? Too soon to say. But not uninteresting.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
10:35 AM
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