What does Obama's win mean for the wider world?
06 November 2008
What does Obama's win mean for the wider world?
What does Obama’s win mean for those of us outside America? In tonight’s Evening Standard, Birkbeck's Prof Rob Singh writes:
"Obama’s victory is remarkable, and moving. But we don’t know what we’re getting — the calm, cautious pragmatist or the orthodox progressive of his books and voting record. He is, clearly, committed to drawing down combat brigades from Iraq. But if Iraq fractures back into civil war, what then? And what exactly does he intend to do differently from his predecessor in relation to Afghanistan and Pakistan? He has not repudiated the war on terror, instead saying Afghanistan is its central front.
Yesterday he spoke about repairing alliances, but how? If he wants a tougher US-EU stance towards Russia, will Europe risk its dependence on energy supplies? If a Democrat Congress says the US must tax American companies investing abroad, will he resist such economic nationalism that could plunge us all even further into recession? Given the financial crisis and an America that’s turning inward, it’s difficult to see how he can sustain some of his spending promises, such as $1 billion in non-military aid to Afghanistan, let alone pay for an additional 92,000 troops. For all the soothing talk about healing, change and post-partisanship, there remain basic value differences between the US and Europe on issues such as the war on terror, global warming and democracy promotion that aren’t ended by this week’s events."
Rob Singh is co-author of After Bush: The Case for Continuity in American Foreign Policy
