Obama and The U.S.A self image

IV- Obama and America Self-Image:

1-Who is Obama?

Before examining the role that he is going to play in restoring America self-image, let's first of all see who Barrack Obama is; examine his origins and what enabled him to be elected as the American president even though he is black.^38(*) Barrack Hussein Obama was born in 1961 to a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas. His parents separated when he was 2 year-old. His mother married an Indonesian man in 1967, and the family moved to Jakarta where he attended schools and thus, taught the Indonesian language. At the age of 10, he moved back to Hawaii with his maternal grandparents. He graduated with honors from Panahou Academy at the age of 18. He was one of three black students at the school. This was the moment when he first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be African-American by discussing how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage (a mother from Kansas, a father from Kenya and a step-father from Indonesia). He studied for two years at Occidental College at LosAngelos, and then he transferred to Columbia University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science. In 1985, he moved to Chicago where he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in Chicago's Roseland community and the Altgeled Gardens public housing development in the city's south side and during this time, he joined the Trinity United Church of Christ. In 1988, Obama entered Harvard Law School. After two years, he was elected the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated ^39(*)magna cum laude in 1991; the second of three highest levels of achievements that a student can reach.

He worked for both Republicans and Democrats after being elected as Democrat in the Illinois State Senate. He helped drafting legislations on ethics, expanded health care services and early childhood education. In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the American House of Representatives. In November 2004 general election, he received 70% of the votes against Keyes; the African-American Republican nominee and thus, Obama became only the third African-American elected to the US Senate since Reconstruction. This striking success was due his attitudes towards 9/11 attacks and the war with Iraq as he was opposed to what he calls "dump wars" and above all this, his call for union despite all the differences" We are one people, pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America".

2-Obama's attempts to restore America self-image:

Before judging whether Barrack Obama managed to purify the American misty self-image or no, one should mention that he is a newly elected president, and the points that he made in his presidential campaign should be seen as future promises or taken from a theoretical point of view, with some of them being already put in practice. So, the focus in the current paragraph will be put on Obama's presidential campaign: the promises that he made, the issues that these promises are dealing with and a foreshadowing look to estimate to what degree these promises will succeed in curing the problem of bad reputation that America has been suffering from. Right from the very first days of his presidency, he makes it clear that he is totally aware of the problems that the U.S.A was going through. In his Inaugaural speech that he delivered in January 20^th, 2009, he admitted that:

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. (Obama, Inaugural speech).

That is why, he was determined, along with his vice president Joe Biden to put a kind of strategy or a plan to rescue the U.S.A self-image abroad

"I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, who yearn for a better future,

a-Obama and the Iraqi War:

Among the reasons that enabled Obama to win the presidential election of 2008 is his strong opposition to the Iraqi War which characterized his career as a politician. He predicted that the outcomings of this war, which he described as a «dump war», would severly damage the U.S.A image both nationally and internationally speaking. In October 2002, Barrach Obama showed a lot of courage by expressing publically his opposission to the Iraqi War and his disapproval with George.W.Bush's policy through a speech «Against the Iraqi War» in which he explained his attitude towards this war and stated the reasons that had pushed him to reject George.W. Bush's policies concerning the regime change in Iraq:

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That is what I am opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power.... The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.

But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States or to his neighbors...and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history.

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.

I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president. (Barrack Obama)

According to this speech, Obama was not opposed to wars; he was against wars with undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences. That is why he was very determined to end this war which lasted more than W.W.I and W.W II in order to invest the military strengh and economic ressources to fight Taliban and AL-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and invest the rest in national issues. So, along with his vice president Joe Biden, he is setting a program for the Withdrawal of the troops. A responsible and phased withdrawel. Both of them beleived that:

We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month -- which would remove all of them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 -- more than 7 years after the war began.

Under the Obama-Biden plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. They will not build permanent bases in Iraq, but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism. (Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009).

They will try also to help the Iraqi government take control of its own home instead of relying on the Americans by ^40(*)« encouraging political accomodation ». This will enable the Iraqis ^41(*)to make political compromises, secure their country and invest their oil revenues in reconstructing the infrastructure severly damaged by the war.In fact, Barrack Obama was conscious that the U.S-led war on Iraq damage its infrastructure, and because of this war, more than ^42(*)five million Iraqis are now refugees in neighbouring countries going through what Barrack Obama calls ^43(*)« Humanitarian Crisis ». Strongly beleiving in both the moral obligation and the responsability that the U.S.A has toward other countries, Barrack Obama decided to solve this humanitarian crisis that the Iraqi people are facing ^44(*)by forming an international working group to solve this issue and providing at least $2 billion dollars to expand services to neighbouring refugees.

As far as the whole region is concerned,^45(*) Barrack Obama wants to spread stability between Iraq and its neighbours espacially Iran and Syria. In order to acheive this aim, he will secure the Iraqi borders and prevent its neighbours from intervening in the Iraqi affairs. Nationaly speaking, ^46(*)Iraq has been notorious with its sectarian groups. That is why, Obama calls for reconciliation to avoid going into a civil war:

At the same time, we must launch a comprehensive regional and international diplomatic initiative to help broker an end to the civil war in Iraq, prevent its spread, and limit the suffering of the Iraqi people. To gain credibility in this effort, we must make clear that we seek no permanent bases in Iraq. We should leave behind only a minimal over-the-horizon military force in the region to protect American personnel and facilities, continue training Iraqi security forces, and root out al Qaeda. (Obama)

This is by no means an easy task, but if Barack Obama succeeds in fullfillng this promise that he has delivered, above all the promise to end the Iraqi War and remove the fighting armies out of it, it will be a huge step in purifying the U.S.A self-image and restoring its credebility. This step will ease the accumulating feelings of anger, resentement and mistrust toward the U.S.A. Ending the Iraqi war is the magical key to help the U.S.A get over its actual position as a threat to the world peace and revive the old glories. This is what John Edwards expressed by stating that:

In the wake of the Iraq debacle, we must restore America's reputation for moral leadership and reengage with the world. We must move beyond the empty slogan 'war on terror' and create a genuine national security policy that is built on hope, not fear. Only then can America once again become a beacon to the world. (John Edwards).

b-Obama and the European World: from Unilateralism to Multilateralism:

It is agreed upon that the U.S.A has lost the support of its European allies due to its unilateral policy which cares only for the U.S interests. A close scrutiney of some historical events shows that America used to have strong relationship with its European allies- dating back to President Trauman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and others- when an American president could rally European support because he was respected abroad. Obama seems to be determined to regain those supporters by renewing the American deplomacy; a renewal based mainly on multilateralism and the establishment of an effective partnership with the Europeans through encouraging the enlargement of this body. This is what Barack Obama promised to acheive in a speech that he delivered on July 2007 and published by the magazine of Foreign Affairs concerning Foreign policy by stating that:

To renew American leadership in the world, I intend to rebuild the alliances, partnerships, and institution necessary to confront common threats and enhance common security. Needed reform of these alliances and institutions will not come by bullying other countries to ratify changes we hatch in isolation. It will come when we convince other governments and people that they, too, have a stake in effective partnership. (Obama).

This statement came after Barack Obama's realization that the policy of unilateralism that America had been embracing is a usless one and will not help America face the challenges of a new mellenuim:

After thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars spent, many Americans may be tempted to turn inward and cede our leadership in world affairs. But this is a mistake we must not make. America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, and the world cannot meet them without America. We can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission. We must lead the world, by deed andAfter thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars spent, many Americans may be tempted to turn inward and cede our leadership in world affairs. But this is a mistake we must not make. America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, and the world cannot meet them without America. We can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission. We must lead the world, by deed and by example. (Obama).

To strengthen the relationship between the United States and the European World, Barack Obama has put certain steps to be followed. He will work on rebuilding a stronger NATO in which the European Union will work hand in hand with America to provide support for Afghanistan by enhancing and accelerating a multibillion dollar effort for the reconstruction of this country-totally destroyed by the war over terrorsism. In addition, Barack Obama thinks that America and the European Union can cooperate to strenghthen counterterrorism policies through judicial, police, and Intelligence Corporation and this aim will not be fulfilled unless America regains the European confidence by working to close the Guantanamo Prison and ending the Bush administration's practice of locking people without telling them why or what they are charged of:

To build a better, freer world, we must first behave in ways that reflect the decency and aspirations of the American people. This means ending the practices of shipping away prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far-off countries, of detaining thousands without charge or trial, of maintaining a network of secret prisons to jail people beyond the reach of the law. (Obama)

In fact, this statement refers to the Guantanamo Prison, a cruial issue related to restoring U.S.A self-image. In fact, right from his first week in office, Barack Obama orderd the closing of the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay^47(*) to show a break from the Bush's administration to the war on terror in one hand, and^48(*) to work on restoring human rights by maintaining the American values and encouraging other countries to do so on the other hand.

Strenghthening the partnership between America and Europe for a better future is another difficult task for Barack Obama to fulfill. The difficulty lies in the fact that the European countries want to keep their distance from the United States due to the unilateral policies of the previous president George .W. Bush; they are not sure whether the U.S.A deserves a second chance or no. It is up to the new President Barack Obama to gain their trust and confidence by promising what he can deliver and delivering what he has promised, but above all this, protecting their interests and perceiving them as an influential power.

c-Obama's Battle against Terrorism and the Possession of Nuclar Weapons:

«Terrorism»; a word which still have a great impact on the Americans till today, they have experienced it on the 9/11 events, it is been a long time since that day, yet, it is influencing their every day life. Being the newly elected president, Obama believes that one of his priority dyring this four year presidency is to restore the Americans' sense of security by combating not only terrorism in American territory but global terroris.^49(*) He makes it clear that fighting terrorism is a collective endavour which needs cooperation and coordination. According to him, the scape goats of this extreme manifestation of violence are the Americans themselves due to the global opposition to their policies, and the Islamic world which is the n°1 accused for this. So this gobal accusation, terrorism becames related to the Muslims and espacially to the organization of AL-Qaeda and its leader Osama Ben Laden notorious by his strong antipathy toward the U.S.A. and Taliban. That is why, in this fight against terrorism, Barack Obama will put all the focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan ^50(*)which Osama Ben Laden lieutenants see as their home. He declared:

I will join with our allies in insisting -- not simply requesting -- that Pakistan crack down on the Taliban, pursue Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants, and end its relationship with all terrorist groups. (Obama)

As far as nuclear weapons are concerned, Barack Obama's greatest fear is that terrorists manage to acquire them, thus, targetting not only America but the whole world. He is afraid that the misuse of these weapons will lead into a nuclear war. He expresses his unsatisfaction with the civilians'easy access to uranium. ^51(*)He adopted the Test Ban Treaty which was signed by John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev in 1963 after the Cuban missle crisis which prohibited nuclear weapon test explosions and any other nuclear explosions in the three environment: in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water. That is why he is determined to contain this nuclear threat to protect not only the United States of America but also the rest of the world by preventing the spraed of nuclear weapons and make sure that the other countries are not trying to build or develop any nuclear progam. In order to achieve this aim, ^52(*)Barack Obama will provide $50 million to jump-start the creation of an International Atomic Energy Agency-controlled nuclear fuel bank and work to update the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. ^53(*)He urges the other countries to adopt the law that he and Senator Richard Lugar have passed allowing the United States and its allies to detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of muss destruction through the world.

In this issue, the focus was put mainly on both Iran and North Korea since both countries are refusing to get rid of their nuclear program and trying to develop it despite the international strong opposition. This very fact may threaten the peace in both the Midde East and East Asia. In order to face this threat, Obama is calling to build what he calls «strong coalition» to solve this problem and convince both sides without resorting to violence- what George.W.Bush used to do:

We must develop a strong international coalition to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Iran and North Korea could trigger regional arms races, creating dangerous nuclear flashpoints in the Middle East and East Asia. In confronting these threats, I will not take the military option off the table. But our first measure must be sustained, direct, and aggressive diplomacy -- the kind that the Bush administration has been unable and unwilling to use. (Obama)

These are the measures that Barack Obama is taking to fight terrorism and contain the nuclear threats. Unlike Bush's administration, Obama-Biden's administration is cooperating with the allies in order to achieve the common good and the policy of Barack Obama seems to be based not on the use of violence to impose its self-righteousness on others but on discussion as a peaceful way to spread the American ideals and values.

c- Obama and the Middle East:

Barack Obama was not oblivious about the Israeli-Palestenian conflict. In fact, this conflict was given a priority in his agenda.

It will be the policy of my administration to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as Israel and its Arab neighbors, (Natasha Mozgovaya)

As a president, Obama is obliged to go through this challenge and fix George.W.Bush's rash attempts to impose a new order in the Middle East by embracing pragmatism and patience to achieve a comprehensive two-state solution.

The Israeli-Palestenian conflict was seen as a matter on U.S national interests. Obama will work with both sides; the Israelis represented by their prime minister Benjamin Natanyahu and the palestenians represented by their president Mahmoud Abbas.^54(*) Barack Obama is determined to push for a final agreement supported by abroad international coalition including the Arab countries, Russia and the European Union, since the Israeli and Palestenian leadership are incapable of reaching an accord and that they will need all the pressure and persuasion the world can muster to take the last, fateful steps.^55(*) According to Obama, the main issue lies in terms of settlement, percentages of territorial annexation, land exchange, deviding and defining forms of sovregnity over Jerusalem, describing the attributes of a Paestenian State, and above all this, finding technical ways to resettle and compensate the refugees.

^56(*)Obama decided to deal with the Israeli-Plestenian conflict right from the 1967 bounderies. He is pushing the international scene to acknowledge the refugees' plight. ^57(*)Along with his Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama will focus on rebuilding Gaza and reopening it to trade and commerce and supporting Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestenian authority leader who was weakened by the fighting in Gaza. Obama also appointed George Mitchell, former peace negotiator in Northern Ireland as a U.S special envoy for the Middle East, ^58(*)who was known best known for peace making efforts and was appointed by the former president Bill Clinton to find ways to decrease the Israeli-Palestenian violence. After being introduced, Obama said about him:

Time and again, in public service and private life, he has acted with skill and acted with integrity. He will be fully empowered at the negotiating table, and he will sustain our focus on the goal of peace. (Ed Henry and Elisse Labott).

The named special envoy for the Middle East belives that:

«From my experience there, I formed the conviction that there is no such thing as a conflict that can't be endedthe Israeli-Palestenian conflict can be ended, conflicts are created and conducted by human beings, and they can be ended by human beings.» (Ed Henry and Elisse Labot).

In fact, Barack Obama wanted to take use of his experience as he helped to resolve the Northern Ireland conflict which seemed to be intractable at that time.^59(*) He called the Palestenians to build up their security forces in order to decrease the influence of militant groups like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad so that they offer Israel the prospect of a prolonged peace in order to stop the loss of life among both the Israelis and the Palestenians and the suffering taking place in Gaza.^60(*) Along with Barack Obama, he called on Israel to open its borders with Gaza to humanitarian aid and commerce.

This is Barack Obama's agenda as far as the Israeli-Palestenian conflict is concerned. In order to fulfill it, Obama, again and unlike George.W.Bush's policy, is working with the American allies, in an attempt to reestablish the U.S.A self-image as a nation whose policy depends on multilateralism rather than unilateralism, taking into consideration the interests of the weaker nations.

* ³⁸ Biography of Barack Obama.

* ³⁹ Magna cum: the second of three highest levels of achievements that a student can reach whey they finish their studies at college.

* ⁴⁰ Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴¹ Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴² The Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴³ The Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴⁴ The Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴⁵ The Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴⁶ The Obama-Biden Iraq Agenda, January 2009.

* ⁴⁷Ed Henry: C.N.N Senior White House correspondent, the 44th President First 1OO days.

* ⁴⁸ Priscila Neri, Obama Orders Closing of Guantanamo Prison, the Hub.

* ⁴⁹ Barack Obam, Renewing American Leadership, Foreign Affairs, July, 2007.

* ⁵⁰ Maureen Dowd quoted in Sifry and Cerf, eds, Iraq Reader, p. 385.

* ⁵¹ Partial Test Ban Treaty-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

* ⁵² Barack Obama, Renewing American Leadership, Foreign Affairs, July, 2007.

* ⁵³ Barack Obama, Renewing American Leadership, Foreign Affairs, July, 2007.

* ⁵⁴ Hussein Agha and Robert Makey, Volume56, Number 10.

* ⁵⁵ Hussein Agha and Robert Makey, Volume56, Number 10.

* ⁵⁶ Glenn Kessler, Obama`s Signals on Middle East Scrutinezd by all sides. Washington Post, P. A09 

* ⁵⁷ Glenn Kessler, Obama`s Signals on Middle East Scrutinezd by all sides. Washington Post, P. A09 

* ⁵⁸ Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz.

* ⁵⁹ Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz.

* ⁶⁰ Al-Jazeera English.