Sunday Times 2
Choice for Obama: Prophet or Pharisee?
View(s):The path he chooses might mean lasting peace or self-destruction for Mother Earth
By Louis Benedict and Ameen Izzdeen
So the world did not end on 21.12.12 and we did not even have three days of darkness as millions of people had feared based on what they interpreted to be a Mayan calendar prediction or some secret revelation in Fatima.
Though these apocalyptic calamities turned out to be just a figment of people’s imagination or fears, the reality as we come to the end of 2012 is that we are on the night race track towards self-destruction unless world leaders come to their senses and turn around from selfishness, self-centredness and greed to a broader vision for social justice and the common good of all.
A vital and prophetic role in this mission to save Mother Earth has fallen on the shoulders of Barack Obama, the first Afro American president of the world’s main superpower, the most powerful but yet the most self-centred nation, the United States.
Reelected for a second term despite opinion polls predicting a possible dead heat, President Obama will take oaths in two weeks’ time for a second term in which most US presidents are known to have looked at history and the next generation and not so much at the next election. First signs are good. The President has nominated the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee chairman and former presidential candidate John Kerry as the new secretary of state to replace Hillary Clinton, who, according to some analysts, is like to be a Democratic nominee for the 2016 presidential election, and if she wins, she will be the first woman president of the US. One of the frontline nominees for the post of defence secretary is Senator Chuck Hagel who is not popular with the hardline Zionist lobby because he is known to be committed to the principle of America first.
Gun politics
Where deeds are concerned, President Obama also vowed to take action to curb gun violence in the aftermath of the December 14 Connecticut carnage where some 20 children and six teachers including the principal were massacred by an apparently unbalanced young man Adam Lanza who had earlier killed his own mother and smashed up the computers in his house.
Four more years honey: This picture of President Obama hugging his wife Mitchell as soon as he was declared winner became the one of the most tweeted pictures of 2012
The United States is the most armed nation in the world with some 270 million to 300 million guns in circulation and 88 per cent of the people being armed. The National Rifle Association which is known to have fired billions of dollars into the last presidential campaign in a bid to prevent any gun control called a news conference last week and many expected it to soften its stand because the Connecticut tragedy appears to have affected the US more than any other massacres. But the NRA took a stronger stand and called for armed police guards at schools as a means of preventing some mad man from barging in and massacring children. President Obama, however, vowed to seek approval from Congress for new gun control laws, preventing people from getting automatic weapons and having tough background checks before guns were sold. Liberals hope that he would go to battle with the gun lobby and take the gun by its barrel.
Middle East in turmoil
If any apocalypse is to take place, the central point may be the Middle East where at present there is what former UN chief Boutros Boutros-Ghali described as a cold peace. On November 29, the UN General Assembly by a vast majority gave the Palestinian Authority the status of an observer member state similar to that of the Vatican. Only six countries voted against the resolution but they included two powerful countries – the United States and Israel. In apparent retaliation for this, the Israelis launched mainly aerial attacks on the Gaza Strip killing about 200 people, most of them children and causing colossal damage. The Israelis claimed the attacks were in response to rocket attacks by Hamas which administers Gaza. The Israelis had first launched a target attack to kill Hamas military leader Ahmad Jabari and Hamas hit back by launching rocket attacks, including missiles which nearly pierced what is known as the aerial Iron Dome over most parts of Israel.
The carnage in Gaza caused an international crisis, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton flew to Jerusalem and then to Cairo in a bid to work out a ceasefire. The newly elected Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi also played a key role, and the ceasefire came into effect after a week and thankfully it has survived upto now. But Israel also built more settlements in the West Bank area including East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as their capital if the two state policy is worked out. But with Israel’s premier Benjamin Netanyahu taking a hardline stand and with elections due next month, the possibility of a just and lasting solution is like finding a large spring in the desert and most observers believe much will depend on what President Obama does or does not do.
The Palestinian people who have suffered death, destruction and humiliation for 64 years, need justice and not charity. If Obama pushes for such justice, even at the risk of a possible backlash from the powerful US Zionist lobby, he will go down in history as a statesman who prevented an Armageddon in the Middle East.
After the Arab Spring in 2011, a revolutionary spirit and a campaign for democracy have been sweeping across the Middle East region. It began in Tunisia with the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and a few days ago the new government found extravagant and luxury items to the value of a staggering US$ 14 billion stored in his secret barns. This was all taken from public money by a leader who was supposed to br serving the people. These items are to be auctioned and the money used to bring about a more equitable distribution of resources. But many groups in Tunisia are still protesting that even the new government has not taken effective steps to bring about social justice.
In Egypt, considered to be the key player in Middle East politics, President Morsi is trying to consolidate his power, but the protest movement is growing and the country appears to be split in two. Last week, the President’s Muslim Brotherhood-backed Freedom and Justice Party and its Islamist allies claimed victory in a national referendum on the new constitution. But several opposition groups, including those who led the revolution to oust President Hosni Mubarak, say the referendum was manipulated and that it gives far too much power to the President. They also point out that only 32 percent of the people voted in the referendum and they have warned they would continue their campaign for democracy, justice, good governance and social equality.
As the year ends, Egypt appears to be sitting on a modern pyramid and whether more blood will flow in the Nile is a horrifying question for the New Year.
In neighbouring Libya where longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi was slaughtered like a cow, fresh elections were held by the transition government; but the country is far from stable with little known about who is controlling what. The killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three intelligence officials at the US consulate in Benghazi on this year’s 9/11 anniversary has brought about international repercussions. The US State Department first said the killing appeared to be part of a mass protest over the YouTube movie attacking the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Susan Rice, the US ambassador to UN, also backed this claim. But in the days and weeks that followed it was established that the attack on the US consulate had been planned by an al-Qaeda linked Libyan group and it was possible only due to the lack of security at the consulate which was known to be a US spy centre. When the full story was revealed the state department official in charge of Middle East security resigned and three top officials were suspended.
Ambassador Rice also paid a heavy price. She was strongly tipped to be the next US Secretary of State, but the Benghazi blunder cost her the job, with Obama reaslising that the confirmation of her appointment by the US Congress would be almost impossible.
D-Day for Syria
In Yemen, the people’s power movements seeking democracy and social justice forced President Abdullah Saleh to quit in February this year but he handed over power to his Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the revolutionary movements are not happy or sure about what will happen next.
Similar people power Arab Spring campaigns have been launched in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and some parts of Saudi Arabia. But the biggest and the bloodiest revolt has been in Syria, where more than 40,000 people are known to have been killed since February last year and almost 4 million people have found refuge in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other places. They are surviving in the bitter winter cold with little or nothing by way of heating while food, water, shelter, clothing and medicine are also known to be in short supply despite all the moves by the UN and volunteer groups.
This week the UN and Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahmi held more rounds of talks in Damascus with the besieged Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad. But analysts said little progress was made. According to most observers, Assad is facing his judgment day with even his strongest ally, Russia, deserting him quietly, and the Syrian dictator is now believed to be focusing on exit plans. On Thursday, the peace envoy announced he would be visiting Moscow yesterday amidst reports of some agreements on a transitional unity government but Free Syrian Army leaders were insisting on their main demand – Assad must go. They said this demand was not negotiable.
Though there have been few if any widespread protests or revolutionary movements in Iran, the international crisis over its alleged development of nuclear weapons has reached possible world war proportions.
For several years, the hawks in Israel have been threatening a direct strike on Iran’s strategic sites while the US has imposed severe trade sanctions which have affected almost all countries, including Sri Lanka. One of Iran’s major political victories this year was its opportunity to host the summit of the 120-nation Non-Aligned Movement, which at the time of the Cold War played a vital role in world affairs. But it has gradually sunk to the level of summits and speeches without significant action. Analysts hope that with the policy of cold peace replacing cold war, NAM would revive itself to play a balancing role.
During the US presidential campaign, Republican rival Mitt Romney said he would consider military action against Iran, while President Obama was more cautious. During his second term and with his mind on the history books, analysts hope Obama would choose the diplomatic option instead of plunging the world into something worse than Afghanistan and Iraq where they went in on the pretext that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Now, after millions of deaths and devastation that is incalculable, the world now knows that it was more a case of US and Britain using weapons of mass deception.
China’s rise
In the Asian region, more important for Sri Lanka, we saw a major leadership change in China last month and in Japan last week. Given the continuing secrecy of China’s strategic policies, how and where the new leadership of President-designate Xi Jingping intends to go is known only to him and a few in the Communist Party hierarchy.
Sri Lanka which is heavily dependent on China and its loans — with our per capita debt rising to more than Rs. 308,000 this week – needs to be more cautious about any over-dependence on a country whose world policy framework is not clear. China is virtually involved in a political war with Japan and other neighbours over the ownership of some disputed islands. President Obama also has said the focus of US foreign policy in the coming years would be on the Indian Ocean region, and countries like Sri Lanka need to be cautious before moving into any alignment with any global power.
China’s economy, though not booming to the expected heights, is still far behind those of the US and Western Europe.
While President Obama is pleading with Santa Claus in Congress to help him avert what is called a ‘fiscal cliff’ – which could mean economic disaster in the New Year – the Eurozone also is plunging deeper into crisis with Greece, Spain and Italy embroiled in chaos. By Friday, prospects of a bipartisan agreement were dim, though Obama rushed back from his Christmas vacation in Honolulu and Congress called a special session on Sunday – to work out a solution — just 48 hours before what could be the great fall.
Closer home in India, the centuries old crisis of discrimination, sexual harassment and rape of women exploded yesterday with the death of the 23-year-old medical student who was gang-raped by six brutes in a moving bus in Delhi which is now known as India’s rape capital. After the horrific tragedy on December 16, while the girl lay critically ill in hospital, human rights groups led by women rights activists held huge demonstrations with police using tear gas and water cannon to control them while areas around the parliament building and offices of India’s leaders were declared out of bounds.
On Wednesday, the girl was flown in a critical condidtion to a leading hospital in Singapore, but she died yesterday morning, prompting huge demonstrations again with one leading newspaper carrying banner headlines saying the daughter of India is dead.
Meanwhile, the reelected Russian President Vladimir Putin was in New Delhi this week to sign billion dollar arms deals including the sale of modern fighter jets. Mr. Putin who replaced President Dmitry Medvedev at controversial elections this year is taking a hardline towards the West on several issues and though the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet empire, what exists now is again a cold peace.
India’s relationship with Pakistan has improved somewhat with the resumption of the cricket series between the two countries after several years.
Pakistan itself is in crisis with the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani being fired by the Supreme Court on contempt charges because he failed to open corruption investigations against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Many analysts have linked this legal crisis with what is happening in Sri Lanka and hope that a similar outcome will save the country from dictatorship or anarchy.
The dreaded US drone attacks on Pakistan’s border regions are continuing with hundreds of civilians being killed or injured. On the basis of allegations that the CIA used false polio vaccine to get blood samples and confirm the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden whom it killed last year, the extremist groups have recently killed upto 15 health workers involved in Pakistan’s latest polio immunization campaign and analysts say nearly 300,000 children may suffer as a result. India is also going through economic turmoil both for internal and international reasons. But one vital plus point in Asia’s largest democracy has been the vibrant role of the free media which spotlighted corruption or other charges against politicians and brought about the Freedom of Information Act which has restored good governance to a large extent but unfortunately the Rajapaksa regime in Sri Lanka is resisting such a Freedom of Information Bill.
Another South Asian neighbour, the Maldives, is still in political turmoil after the ouster of President Ahamed Nasheed and the island nation needs to beware of becoming a pawn in the strategic games of the big powers.
Essentially, this is where we stand as the year ends and we prepare to usher in 2013 with the usual fun and fanfare.
But analysts hope that with a proactive leadership role played by President Obama who will have the courage to turn from the traditional self-interest towards an enlightened vision of building a just and fair world we might be able to turn away from the path of political double games and environmental pollution which can only lead to the destruction of all.
Star of 2012: Young girl changes history books
For centuries, education and higher education have been regarded as the way that opens the book to knowledge, intelligence and wisdom which enable people to live with human dignity. Unfortunately, girls had not been given equal opportunity in this vital sphere and were stereotyped as housewives or housekeepers while the men earned the money and made the decisions.
Malala: An inspiration
During the past few decades, this male chauvinism and discrimination of girls or women has positively and dramatically changed with gender equality getting high priority in fields ranging from education to the highest professional jobs such as judges, medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants and even as company chairpersons or chief executive officers. In the political field also, women got and continue to get unequal treatment.
Sri Lanka, for instance, has the honour of producing the world’s first woman prime minister in 1960.
But the equality has not been dressed up as it should be with today’s parliament having a female representation of less than 5 per cent though females make up 53 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population.
It is the same in most other parts of the world.
This is the scenario in which we choose 15-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai as our Personality or Star of 2012. From the age of 11, Malala had been known for her activism for education rights of girls even in the face of death threats by the extremist Taliban groups which insist that according to its interpretation of Sharia law, education as taught in the west, is banned for girls. She wrote a regular BBC blog at the age of 11 on life under Taliban and the right of education for girls. The next year the New York Times did a documentary film on her.
On October 9, Taliban killers shot her and other girls who were returning after their classes. She was critically injured and was later taken to hospital in Britain for rehabilitation. Doctors say she is recovering fast and will be back home soon.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has nominated her for the International Children’s Peace Prize while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has declared Novemeber 10 as Malala Day. Canada has gone a step further and nominated the schoolgirl for Nobel Peace Prize for 2013.
If she wins it, she would be the youngest person to win this most prestigious award in the world.
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