Obama and a Change of Direction for America

Barack Obama’s winning the presidency of the United States of America was expected, broadly speaking, and wasn’t a surprise. In fact, the surprise would have been if he had not won, but if the Republican McCain had been the one who had, for all the public opinion polls were in Obama’s favor.

Many Arabs were rooting for Obama and hoping for his triumph, and so their joy at the results of the American election was obvious. This applies to Arab Americans as much as it does to Arabs in their native countries. And this matter might not be attributable to their satisfaction with Obama himself so much as his opposition to George W. Bush and his ignorant policies, and through Bush the Republican party, its orientation and its wars.

It might have been possible for existing American policy to continue as was, or even become worse, had the Republican candidate John McCain won. But the Obama victory means that a qualitative change has occurred in America’s direction and that this is the desire of the American electorate for the most part, taking into consideration the ability of the media to spruce up the image of the Democrats, their candidate, his aims and aspirations. We notice that more than 250 mainstream American newspapers, alongside dozens of satellite and radio stations and internet sites had chosen to stand behind Obama, support his candidacy and embrace his future policies.

Until the last moment there were fears of a surprise that concerned many analysts: That Americans would vote racially against the candidate with African roots, despite his being mixed-race. And it is an observation that the American media made itself and imposed on the world, and remained the primary driver of many analyses, expectations, and surveys, drawing people’s attention away from the issues and political and economic directions.

Following the announcement of the final results, the victory speech that the new president delivered, and the congratulations from his rival John McCain and outgoing president George W. Bush, the image of President Obama seems clearer than before. The hopes and dreams of the people who stood behind the Obama phenomenon and not the person have become the test by which his failures or achievements are measured.

Regarding the Arabs as a nation and as a people, it might be too early to comment on the hope for radical change in America’s positions and policies toward main issues like Palestine and Iraq, given that the most important and fixed constant in America’s policy is the security of Israel and its interests. This is something no one can promise will change as a result of personal choice or political wisdom or the promise of God, unless we have our papers and we can use them well to make such a change necessary.

There is no doubt that Obama’s victory brings a big change for America. This change has returned something of the luster to America’s tarnished image abroad. As for at home, it will be a very deep change, for the America that chose Obama as president is not the America that chose George W. Bush four years ago. America changed, but it needs to bring these changes to the world, away from unipolarity, the axis of good and evil, escalating wars and killing, isolationism, hegemony, violating national sovereignty, seizing the freedoms of others, and double standards.