Madam Secretary and India

This past week, President-elect Obama introduced Hillary Clinton as the top diplomat in the country as his nominee for the Secretary of State position.  Hillary’s first looming task as State Secretary is the crisis in South Asia. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday said that instability in that region poses "the single most important threat against the American people."  Terrorists killed six Americans in Mumbai during the attacks, and Obama’s team’s job is to investigate and make sure the finger pointing does not go out of control over the next few weeks. They need to be unbiased and not blame Islam or Pakistan straight off the bat. What really complicates the whole situation now is Defense Secretary Hillary Clinton’s ties with the Indian community abroad and in the United States. During her eight years as a senator and during her run as a presidential candidate, Clinton toured India, met with officials and talked with Indian businessmen. Her campaigns for both the Senate and the Presidency were profited by the donations of Indians both here and there. As a senator, Hillary Clinton was a co-chair of the Senate India Caucus in Congress. Many of the Indian businessmen who donated to the Clinton Senate campaign also donated to hubby Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation. Many Pakistanis feel this gives them a clear disadvantage against their nuclear rival to the east when it comes to U.S. foreign relations under Obama. The Indian-American community in the U.S. was thrilled by her nomination from the President-Elect, “Senator Clinton will continue the close relationship between the United States and India that started with the Clinton administration and has progressed in the Bush years…we're very lucky that we have in Senator Clinton someone who is already well-versed on one of the more important countries and emerging economies in the world" said Varun Nikore, founder of the Indian-American Leadership Initiative. Indo-American relations were strengthened under the forty-second president, the Clinton administration embraced India as a major power and market during the 90’s. Clinton’s preferential treatment of India over Pakistan is still fresh in the eyes of many Pakistani officials. It’s evident from President Clinton’s 2000 Asian trip, when he spent five days in India and seven hours in Pakistan. Obama and Clinton must not take sides and should examine the attack with patience and impartiality. If the regime looks to work with this highly volatile area of the world and win the War on Terror they must not jump to conclusions, because simply jumping the gun and playing the blame game would be repeating our past administrations’ mistakes. 

Russia and China Playing in the Backyard

President-Elect Barack Obama faces a huge challenge from Russia and China when he enters office. This past week, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Russian warships will be doing training exercises in the Caribbean as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's goes on a four-nation tour (Peru, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela) through Latin America. Also, the week before the Russian President’s trip, the Chinese President Hu Jintao traveled to the region. These visits come in response from the U.S.’s skepticism with NAFTA and the Columbia free-trade pact as the two other major world powers are going to try to fill that vacuum left by the Americans.  Obama also plans to slowly open up trade with Cuba for the first time in almost half a century. What is even scarier about Russia’s visit is its partnership with Venezuela. The two countries will negotiate an arms and energy deal, and the Russians promise to help the Venezuelans build their first nuclear power plant. Putin and Medvedev are furious at U.S. intentions to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe and America’s support of NATO membership for former Soviet satellites and American objections against the Russian invasion of Georgia. President-Elect Obama should look to regain America’s sphere of influence before its too late. The dominos are being stacked way too close to home, as China and Russia look to have an extremely strong ties in our backyard. Also seen for the first time since the Cold War, was the installment of short-range missiles near Poland capable of striking NATO territory. The US plans to build a missile defense shield in Central Europe, a plan Obama supports. Obama needs to take a hard-line approach with the Russians and needs to reestablish US trade and influence in Latin America. This realignment of power in the world is seemingly headed down a road of a new struggle for power and influence in the globe, and the last place America needs to fight for influence is in its own hemisphere. Obama needs to restrain from the policies America has used for the past century with Latin America, interventionism. He must work with Latin American leaders and countries to build a strong alliance with the countries right below us and make sure our rivals do not get too far ahead of us. Also, the Obama regime must make sure that Latin America our allies i the region remain pro-West and pro-American. 

Where did you Security Moms? Make way for Economic Moms

What happened to things like the Iraq War, General Petraeus, the troop surge and al-Qaeda? Did they drop completely off of our national political scene? Don’t get me wrong, American’s no longer have the energy or patience to chase down “evildoers” abroad. I wish these issues would be gone forever. But they’re not; it was only a year ago that these issues were the most important things in the political arena. Today it is headlined by the worst financial crisis in recent memory. In a New York Times/CBS poll taken in -October, 57 percent of people said the economy was the top issue. Only 9 percent stated terrorism, and 7 percent stated the Iraq war. [1] It feels like we are light years away from the 2004 election. The New York Times carried more extensive coverage of the Iraqi elections in 2005 than statewide contests in the United States. Its obvious people aren’t worried about Islamic fascism, when they can’t keep their jobs, stay in their homes and can’t afford to pay for healthcare. It’s amazing to me that when we’re in such a terrifying crisis that affects all Americans and we see the stocks dip a little lower each day, how much we forget about abortion, immigration and other social issues.  Do Americans even know that our State Department recently dropped North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terror? A year ago this would’ve been HUGE, now Americans are more threatened by Wall Street than Kim Jong Il or Osama Bin Laden. Do Americans realize that the Taliban is becoming stronger, security is deteriorating, troops are needed and the drug trade is flourishing? This forgotten war is just as important as the Iraqi war. Both candidates have stated that Afghanistan is important but pay no attention to it.

It seemed that only a few months ago our country was obsessed with National Security, but its remarkable to see how we focus on a certain issue when it is so prevalent to every American. Joe Biden last week opened his running mate to attacks by saying that Obama will be tested in the first months of their presidency by the world. Very silly, not only does this give the McCain camp new life but also scares Americans. National security issues are the only ones in which McCain continues to hold a sizeable polling advantage over Obama. Reminding the American people that there are people in the world that don’t like us very much is not a good strategy on Biden’s part. If McCain wants to close the gap between him and Obama he should focus on the economy but also remind Americans that his opponent has very little foreign policy experience and make them remember that we should never ignore the War on Terror. It seems like its too little, too late for the McCain camp on this issue, as their window to build on national security is far gone. It was only four years ago that suburban white mothers voted heavily for Bush because of his strength on national security.  McCain could have won this electorate and many whites who are concerned about the economy and national security. It would just take a little campaigning on McCain’s part to remind voters we face threats from terrorism abroad and at home with the economy. The Arizona senator missed out on a huge opportunity to close up the polls. What matters is that whoever is elected, does not ignore our War on Terror and continue to protect Americans and continue the seven years that we have been out of harm’s way.

 

 

 

[1] http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/750zsnqo.asp

 

 

World perception of the candidates: Home and Abroad

Florida will be a make or break state for John McCain next Tuesday. Today 30 percent of all Florida’s Hispanics are Cuban. Hispanics make up 20 percent of the Sunshine State. Both candidates plan to continue with the embargo on Cuba, but there is one main difference in their plans with Cuba. Obama said he would be willing to meet with President Raul Castro without preconditions. He also would ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families on the island. McCain has called the offer to meet the wrong idea, but also has said he favors easing restrictions if Cuba moves toward democracy. The state's large Cuban-American electorate is an important group for the GOP. It is being projected that while older immigrants from Cuba will continue to vote Republican, younger Cuban-Americans are now open to the Democrats and Obama.

 

22 countries in a BBC World Service Poll, preferred that Obama be elected US president instead of Republican John McCain. Obama is preferred by a four to one margin on average across the 22,000 people polled.

The margin that favors Obama ranges from 9% in India to 82% in Kenya. On average 49% prefer Obama to 12% preferring McCain. Nearly four in 10 people are indifferent. It would make sense that Africans would support Obama because of his lineage and family but also because of his views on Darfur and Mugabe.

The poll also explored the expected impact of the US election. In 17 of the 22 countries surveyed, most people feel if the Illinois senator were elected president, American relations with the world would improve. The majority opinion in most countries felt that if McCain won the election, that US world standing would remain the same.

The countries most optimistic that an Obama presidency would improve relations are  some of America’s closest allies like Canada (69%), France (62%), Germany (61%), United Kingdom (54%), Italy (64%) - as well as Australia (62%) and the African countries Kenya (87%) and Nigeria (71%). [1]

Many countries have no opinion or preference in the election. This was the case in Russia, where 75 percent do not express a preference between the candidates, but also in Turkey (63%) and Egypt (61%). It is surprising that Russians do not care about our next president considering the huge stand off in late August with the rest of the world and the differences in response from each candidate.

When asked whether the election of Barack Obama would change their view of the United States, 46 percent said it would while 27 percent said that it would not.

The US public agrees with the rest of the world, Americans also feel that an Obama presidency would improve US relations. 46 percent of Americans feel relations to improve with Obama’s election compared to 30 percent with McCain.

A total of 23,531 people in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, the UAE, Britain and the United States were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone in July and August 2008 for the poll.

 

With an ever-growing China that continues to get stronger, many Asians feel that the US is the most important security partner in the region. John McCain and Barack Obama have not laid out a foreign-policy in the region, and policymakers in Asia appear to expect them to before the election. Both candidates have experience in the area. McCain was an American POW in Hanoi and Obama went to grade school in Indonesia. The number of Asians in the United States has grown 25 percent in the last seven years, to 15 million. Asian voters nationwide appear to be favoring Obama in greater numbers than the 54 percent who voted for John Kerry in 2004.

 

This could be due to President Bush's unpopularity, the economic implosion, or the fact that Obama has ties to Asians by the people in his staff. There is also a new generation of Asian-Americans that tend to vote Democratic. In the past, many Asians have voted Republican because of the party's record of fighting Communism and family values.

 

A Vietnamese group from northern Virginia, a key battle ground state, recently endorsed McCain. Some Asians favor McCain because of his military service, Vietnamese imprisonment, adopted daughter from Asia and his support for free trade and visa waivers.

 

Regardless of who wins, Asians at home and the Eastern world will be important issues in the next regime.

 

[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2360240.htm?section=world

 

World perception of the candidates: Home and Abroad

Florida will be a make or break state for John McCain next Tuesday. Today 30 percent of all Florida’s Hispanics are Cuban. Hispanics make up 20 percent of the Sunshine State. Both candidates plan to continue with the embargo on Cuba, but there is one main difference in their plans with Cuba. Obama said he would be willing to meet with President Raul Castro without preconditions. He also would ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families on the island. McCain has called the offer to meet the wrong idea, but also has said he favors easing restrictions if Cuba moves toward democracy. The state's large Cuban-American electorate is an important group for the GOP. It is being projected that while older immigrants from Cuba will continue to vote Republican, younger Cuban-Americans are now open to the Democrats and Obama.

 

22 countries in a BBC World Service Poll, preferred that Obama be elected US president instead of Republican John McCain. Obama is preferred by a four to one margin on average across the 22,000 people polled.

The margin that favors Obama ranges from 9% in India to 82% in Kenya. On average 49% prefer Obama to 12% preferring McCain. Nearly four in 10 people are indifferent. It would make sense that Africans would support Obama because of his lineage and family but also because of his views on Darfur and Mugabe.

The poll also explored the expected impact of the US election. In 17 of the 22 countries surveyed, most people feel if the Illinois senator were elected president, American relations with the world would improve. The majority opinion in most countries felt that if McCain won the election, that US world standing would remain the same.

The countries most optimistic that an Obama presidency would improve relations are  some of America’s closest allies like Canada (69%), France (62%), Germany (61%), United Kingdom (54%), Italy (64%) - as well as Australia (62%) and the African countries Kenya (87%) and Nigeria (71%). [1]

Many countries have no opinion or preference in the election. This was the case in Russia, where 75 percent do not express a preference between the candidates, but also in Turkey (63%) and Egypt (61%). It is surprising that Russians do not care about our next president considering the huge stand off in late August with the rest of the world and the differences in response from each candidate.

When asked whether the election of Barack Obama would change their view of the United States, 46 percent said it would while 27 percent said that it would not.

The US public agrees with the rest of the world, Americans also feel that an Obama presidency would improve US relations. 46 percent of Americans feel relations to improve with Obama’s election compared to 30 percent with McCain.

A total of 23,531 people in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, the UAE, Britain and the United States were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone in July and August 2008 for the poll.

 

With an ever-growing China that continues to get stronger, many Asians feel that the US is the most important security partner in the region. John McCain and Barack Obama have not laid out a foreign-policy in the region, and policymakers in Asia appear to expect them to before the election. Both candidates have experience in the area. McCain was an American POW in Hanoi and Obama went to grade school in Indonesia. The number of Asians in the United States has grown 25 percent in the last seven years, to 15 million. Asian voters nationwide appear to be favoring Obama in greater numbers than the 54 percent who voted for John Kerry in 2004.

 

This could be due to President Bush's unpopularity, the economic implosion, or the fact that Obama has ties to Asians by the people in his staff. There is also a new generation of Asian-Americans that tend to vote Democratic. In the past, many Asians have voted Republican because of the party's record of fighting Communism and family values.

 

A Vietnamese group from northern Virginia, a key battle ground state, recently endorsed McCain. Some Asians favor McCain because of his military service, Vietnamese imprisonment, adopted daughter from Asia and his support for free trade and visa waivers.

 

Regardless of who wins, Asians at home and the Eastern world will be important issues in the next regime.

 

[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2360240.htm?section=world

 

Israel, Financial Crisis and Energy Independence

The one issue the candidates and their vice presidential selections can always agree on is the topic of Israel. Biden, Palin, Obama and McCain are all friends of the State of Israel. McCain and Obama during the debates have gone out of their way to stress strong support for Israel, the strongest American ally and a stronghold of democracy in a dangerous neighborhood that doesn’t seem to like America very much. The candidates have also all supported Israel's right to defend itself against Iran’s nuclear threat posed by Iran. Voting for a certain candidate because of their strengths on Israel is ridiculous. Both candidates will take good care of the country and look out for its best interests. In the past few years there has been a migration of Jews from the Democratic Party to the GOP. This was in large part from George W. Bush’s strong stance on the State of Israel. However, in this election people should vote on the issues that matter to them, these candidates will look out for the lone Jewish state and help defend it. Barack Obama has ignored Jimmy Carter’s endorsement because of the former president’s views and his association with Israel and the Democratic National Convention also refused the controversial president a speaking role in Denver. What should trouble Jewish voters is the Green Party’s selection for President, Cynthia McKinney who’s supporters blame Jews and Israel for 9/11 and believe in an international Jewish conspiracy. There is not enough chatter in Jewish circles about McKinney’s campaign, this is the candidate Jews should be worried about, not Obama.

            With the emergence of new superpowers like India, China and the European Union and the looming financial crisis, the next president will have the task of keeping America a superpower. If the next administration is smart, it will let the markets clear, let the recession take its course, and preserve our financial system. America needs to remain a superpower anything short of that is failure, and by doing this they need to be foreign policy savvy. They must work with the international world but not heavily rely on it. America must once again lead the world in technological advancements and improve its education standards in math and science. The education of this nation’s young people is vital to American supremacy and livelihood in the world. We spend the most money on education, but do perform poorly from K-12 in all science and math proficiency exams. We lag every first world country. During the Cold War, Americans stressed math and science because we feared that the better-educated Soviet children would be able to overtake us in the arms and space race. Today we must stress this importance in education like we did fifty years ago.

Again, last night, in the final debate, McCain attacked Obama and Biden’s foreign policy credentials attacking Obama’s NAFTA proposal. McCain painted Biden wrong for not supporting the Gulf War and protecting our oil interests. On that note, for America to be truly dominant and independent, they must lose their dependency on foreign oil. Senator Obama thinks we can realistically do this in 10 years. I think for this country to remain the superpower it has been for decades, we must shed our oil ties. Reintroducing multilateralism to American foreign affairs, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the international financial crisis and the energy crisis are the most important and daunting foreign policy issues for the next president.