It's less than a week to go before Barack Obama is formally sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. A rush of excitement is sweeping across the US in anticipation of the historic event. The world, too, is waiting for Tuesday's inauguration, when a man many believe can transform the way Washington does business will take charge. For the past four months, ever since Obama won America's mandate, there has been a sort of vacuum in Washington necessitated by the long handover ritual and America has not been able to essay an authoritative role in its foreign policy on today's burning global problems.
Some of the sheen surrounding Obama's spectacular victory will wear off as he rolls up his sleeves and gets down to the business of governing. Fixing America's economy is going to be a messy and contentious affair. Even more challenging for Obama's team, however, will be the task of addressing the threats posed by two dangerous flashpoints in Pakistan and the Middle East.
Obama has repeatedly stated his concerns about Pakistan's role in the terrorism industry, which is a welcome recognition of reality. In dealing with Pakistan, Obama will have to summon up a fine balance of creative and firm options. America needs Pakistan's assistance in its battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, never mind how suspect Pakistan's record is in delivering on promises of cooperation. But Washington cannot afford to let Islamabad allow extremists operating from Pakistani soil run amok either.
FULL ARTICLE
15 January 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment