January has undoubtedly been a very memorable month; firstly, Israel pulling out of Gaza after mercilessly killing thousands of Palestinians, and secondly, swearing in of the first black president of the USA. In my opinion, the change is much welcomed, but it begs the question as to how much ‘change’ we can actually expect. Let’s face it, its not like the new administration is going to create a whirlwind of policy changes.
It’s quite disheartening to know that Gaza will require a staggering sum close to USD 1.9 billion to reconstruct destroyed buildings and other infrastructure. While the ‘Gaza’ atrocity was at its height, I saw a video of Jews protesting to stop the war. It got me thinking a lot. Maybe there is still hope for an amicable settlement? There are moderates willing to listen and come to a compromise, but it all depends on the power of their lobbying. Only time will tell as to how events unfold in the future.
Mr. Obama has a lot on his plate for the time being. Waves of the recession are hitting the US hard, and there seems to be no silver lining in this dark cloud. Well, not for now anyway. Major US corporations are reporting losses for this quarter, and the word ‘retrenchment’ is sending shivers down everyone’s spine. Retrenchment can be translated into job losses all across USA, but it doesn’t stop there. US owned companies situated in other economies should also be taken into consideration. Many US multinationals are in the process of shutting down foreign operations, meaning manufacturing plants, subsidiaries etc. This obviously spells unemployment for people in companies of US multinationals intending to severe foreign operations. Higher unemployment is a burden for any government because it hampers productivity of an economy, and in turn growth. On a macro level, a situation of these proportions means disaster.
Even the Chinese are becoming a thorn in the US’s side by refusing to invest in a fragile economy. China –the world’s 3rd largest economy- has been the largest investor to the US for a considerable period of time. At the World Economic Forum being conducted in Davos, Switzerland, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao blamed the current financial debacle as a fault of the US financial system. Mr. Wen Jiabao described the US financial system as an “excessive expansion of financial institutions in blind pursuit of profit.” In my opinion the analysis is spot on. As they say too much of anything is not good!! This is China’s time to do a bit of muscle flexing and make the US squirm and stew in their broth of misery. With USD 2 trillion in foreign reserves, China can play a very influential role in this time of crisis.
I could go on and on since what I’ve mentioned so far is only tip of the iceberg. Domestic issues itself are sufficient to keep our ‘advocate of change’ inside the oval office consulting with his advisors. At this moment in time all other issues would take a backseat- the Middle East problem included. In his first formal interview with Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network, Mr. Obama spoke of Israel as “a strong ally of the United States. They will not stop being a strong ally of the United States. And I will continue to believe that Israel's security is paramount.” If there are still people who are under the impression that Muslims will have a better time in the future, think again. But it will never kill you to be a tad optimistic, and let’s leave it there for now.
As the saying goes, ‘better the known devil than the unknown angel.’ One really had no idea the tricks that are up the ‘unknown’ angel’s sleeve. Let's not fails to take note of the expectations resting on Mr. Obama's shoulders from people from all quarters. He is being hailed in the form of a modern day saviour. The all important question is, how this saviour is going to go about rescuing all the people from their misery??
If we focus the lens on my motherland, the war is almost coming to an end. In the final phase of decimating the rebel’s civilians have been caught up in the crossfire; as always women and children are the most affected. I feel poignant for the abuse of innocence both by the army and the rebels. In a war, the people who die don’t always belong to the good side, or the bad. There have been instances in which certain operations have been at the cost of civilian lives. Civilians trapped in rebel territory are being used as shields by the rebel’s to postpone the army’s advancement. The rebel’s are trapped in a small area of land that is surrounded by the army on three sides, and the other side is being guarded by the navy. The air force is carrying out daily bombings targeting rebel locations in trying to bring them to their knees. With their backs against the wall, there seems to be nowhere to run. Army will eventually secure the remaining rebel territory, although it’s a matter of time. I hope they put everyone of the rebel’s to the sword. No mercy!!
Don’t take me wrong, I do value human life. It’s just that I don’t feel any remorse for the rebels. The people have lost too much in the past 25 years to just ignore all the hurt and pain caused by them. I accept the fact that there are two sides to a story, but somewhere along the way, one part lost its essence. I can see a faint light at the end of a tunnel, a tunnel that is 25 years long; more I look towards the tunnel’s end, brighter the light shines. But I must be frank about one significant element associated with this quarter-century old dilemma.
And that is, we have only managed to defeat the war, and not its root cause. The root cause of the problem –providing equal rights for ethnic Tamil’s- has not been solved yet, and God knows how long it will take. About discrimination, don't get me started on that one!!!