Obamarama

How, oh how, Barack Obama must wish for the kind of popularity surge that formed the wave that he crested into Washington on in January 2009. His campaign had eerie similarities with our own Labour landslide in the 1997 general election that brought Tony Blair into power. However, unlike Blair, Obama is struggling to fill the shoes that the world wanted him to following his inauguration eighteen months ago.

Say what you like about Tony, he was certainly a 'big' politician in the sense of having a remarkable impact upon the country, like Churchill or Thatcher - regardless of whether you believe those particular ideologies. Obama, on the other hand, looks like a man struggling against the tide. This was epitomised for me in his weak response to manic preacher Terry Jones' planned 'Burn a Qur'an Day'.

In what was a calculated effort to further destabilise interfaith relations in a country which is still struggling with the possibility that a mosque may be built at the location of Ground Zero, the world needed Obama to stand head and shoulders above the controversy, and remind us all of us who was in charge. Instead, he mewled deferentially about getting Jones 'to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform.' In truth, it could have endangered us all. Internet rumour suggests that Jones only pulled the plan for a book-burning at the last possible moment when it was made clear to him how much he could be fined for violating local fire regulations.

Obama's inability to show strong leadership over the planned book burning was also evident in his clumsy mishandling of the Gulf Oil crisis (and still it continues). In scenes reminiscent of George Bush's failure to take action following Hurricane Katrina, Obama showed more of a tendancy towards hand-wringing than genuine leadership and his lack of decisiveness was evident as the administration showed plenty of willingness to criticise BP, but showed no real desire to step in and tackle the issues that arose.

What else then, has Obama done (or not done) to make himself so unpopular? The very same people-powered effort that propelled him into the limelight has evidently caused its own problems. Obama's campaign efforts were staggeringly effective, but this generated a lot of expectation from voters and so far, the safest of his policies have failed to live up to the hype.

At the other end of the spectrum, the most controversial of his policies have have a distinctly negative effect on his popularity. The healthcare reforms that he promised have been agreed, albeit in a watered-down form, and while this does mean that many thousands more people than before are now covered by health insurance, the monstrous cost (supposedly in the region of $900 million) could not have come at a worse time for the US, given that it is already in the fiscal mire.

Add to that the perceived weakness already discussed, the US Foreign Affairs department's inability to deliver any kind of coherent, positive foreign policy, the continued involvement in Afghanistan and the fact that even his own populace mistakenly believe him to be a Muslim, and you have the recipe for a Presidential-sized mess.

Nile Gardiner wrote recently that 'America at its core remains a deeply conservative nation, which cherishes its traditions and founding principles.' Obama may do well to remember this statement and look towards future policymaking with it in mind. With a likely pasting due in the forthcoming midterm elections, there is evidently much still to be done if Barrack Obama is set to convince the American people he is worth a second term.

An End to Nationalist Violence?

I was reading Guardian reports of Tony Blair's visit to Dublin yesterday, and it seemed to me very much that new coverage escalated as the day went on.  While there were some people on the comment pages foolishly trying to compare the bombs that fell on Iraq to the eggs being thrown at the signing, there were very genuine questions being asked about whether it was reasonable to close a large section of a city centre and incur a large policing bill for what amounts to a commercial book signing.

It set me thinking about why a 200-strong group of protestors would even bother to turn up for such an event.  Blair was one of the main (albeit certainly not the only) politicians responsible for the peace deal that was brokered in Northern Ireland - surely he should be popular in Ireland?  Regardless of his record in other areas, his influence there is generaly regarded as a very positive one, and there are those who would say that without him, the deal would not have been reached.

Some reports yesterday suggested that men with Republican sympathies were heard to shout, 'How many kids have you killed today?' at Blair.  If this is true, it is staggering hypocrisy given the IRA's record of casual violence towards civilian targets during the troubles.  In the last few months, there have been increased numbers of attacks on police stations and officers in the province by Republican splinter groups, and it is fortunate that the response to those attacks has been dignified and measured.  It seems that the political will exists to work with the communities to bring perpetrators to justice without resorting to the tit-for-tat violence that existed in the past, and all involved in those communities should be congratulated for their resilience.

On the world stage, ETA, the Basque separatist movement has announced a retrospective ceasefire and announced in a video sent to the BBC that it is now trying to further the cause of Basque nationalism through a non-violent democratic strategy.

As I touched on yesterday, violence is the anathema of civilised society, and it is obviously very good news that a terror organisation has agreed to end its sustained campaign of violence that has resulted in 800 deaths since its formation in 1959.  However, ETA has previously agreed to this course of action on two other occasions, and both times talks broke down due to incidents of sudden violence.  It is very much to be hoped that this time, ETA will see sense, renounce their past activities and go into dialogue with the Spanish and French governments.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Common Enemy

I should probably apologise for giving Blair yet more valuable airspace.  Lord knows how many column inches have already been devoted to him over the last few days as he subtly elbows his way into the spotlight surrounding the Labour leadership campaign, but his comments regarding radical Islam irk me too, and here is why.

Radicals, by their very nature, tend to be idealistic and romantic visionaries, prone to seeing what they want to see rather than what is there.  The irony of Blair using this term to describe others is probably lost on him at this stage, as it has been on a number of other blogs I have read today praising his comments and hysterically spouting Islamophobia.

I have no doubt that there are people out there in the wider world who despise the West and all they feel it stands for.  I should be clear too that I am not simply talking about those liberal-minded types who oppose or challenge an accepted point of view - a true radical will not accept that there are shades of grey in any argument and will accept no other viewpoint than his own.  Furthermore, anyone who uses violence to further their agenda, regardless of their ideology, must be stopped or freedom will inevitably be restricted as a result.

In the face of growing evidence to support climate change, world financial meltdown and continued imperialism from former colonial powers, the threat of radical Islam pales somewhat in its influence upon the daily life of the man in the street.  Fear of an enemy lurking around every corner and living amongst us does, however, have a genuinely corrosive effect on multi-cultural communities within the UK.

The simple fact is that the 9/11 bombers have as little in common with a typical moderate Muslim as the white Christian who bombed Oklahoma City does with any typical white layworker in the street.  Remember that the Allied invasion of Iraq, okayed by Mr Blair, was deemed illegal by Kofi Annan, who was at that time Secretary General of the United Nations.  This illegal war has done more as an incitement to violence and a propogator of bad feeling between the religions than possibly any other act since the Crusades.  For commentators to declare, as some have done, that the world is now a safer place as a result of the war on terror is simply spurious fiction.

The common enemy of all right-thinking people is the man who will lie and cheat others, turning them against one another to achieve his own goals.  I hope you will forgive the poor analogy, but Tony Blair blaming Islam for world insecurity is like blaming wasps for ruining your day after you have spent the morning throwing rocks at their nest.

Share your thoughts in the comments.