What can Africa expect from an Obama presidency? From my point of view, it won’t be very much. I can think of three possible benefits; all of them intangible.
First of all, an Obama Administration will be, in my opinion, far less hectoring, nagging and morally preachy than the current US practice. Africa, and the rest of the world, will not be subjected to the incessant chatter of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice as to America’s alleged moral superiority.
Secondly, I think an Obama presidency may give an indefinable boost to the psychological confidence level of millions of impoverished African peasants and workers, abused as they are by decades of malgovernance by what can only be described as predatory political class of kleptocrats.
Barack Obama’s incredible ascent to the point where he’s within an arm’s length of becoming President of the United States is a monument to his remarkable intelligence, his extraordinary ability, his incredible discipline, organizational skills, tenacity, a great deal of luck and a single-minded pursuit of the goal he set for himself. He has accomplished all this against extraordinary odds that would have caused lesser men not to have embarked on such a journey in the first place. He said it correctly with the title of his second book: The Audacity of Hope. As the New York Times commented several weeks back, Obama is that rare politician who writes his own books…plus, he knows how to write. This man is, indeed, audacious and what he has accomplished is a mark of that audacity.
In this sense, I think Obama will be an inspiration to millions of people – not only Africans, but millions of other downtrodden people everywhere - as to what is possible if one has confidence in one’s own capacity and abilities and simply refuses to concede.
Thirdly, I think Africa will be more talked about and thought about in an Obama Administration. I predict that one of Obama’s first overseas ventures will be an obligatory trip to his father’s homeland – Kenya. I wouldn’t be surprised if he touched down one of these days in Nigeria, as well. However, I doubt seriously whether his election will produce any more substantive results for the African continent.
Article comments
1 - Glenn Contrarian
Bill -
The benefit that Obama would bring to Africa is quite real, though it can't be measured. The day he takes office (should we be so fortunate), the vast majority of Africans (and particularly African-Americans) will walk a little bit straighter, feel a little more self-respect, see their goals as achievable and no long beyond reach.
And it's not just them. Those in Asia will know, "Hey - he lived here, he really knows what we're like". The majority of Islam will be encouraged by someone who carries a name that is partially Islamic.
BUT there's one part of Islam that will be quite suspicious of Barack Hussein Obama at all - IRAN (and much of Iraq). Why? Because the name 'Hussein' is hated by those of the Shi'a faith, for that was the name of the one who led the Sunni who slaughtered the first 72 Shi'a martyrs...and yes, such things DO matter to them.
Yes, these are intangibles - but they're real, and most of the world will see a President Obama as a verification of the American Dream, that in America, anyone - anyone - can go just as far as their dreams and their efforts will take them.
People follow bosses because they have to. People follow leaders because they want to.
A President McCain cannot lead the world - if others obey him, it's because they think they have to. He can only be the boss, but not a world leader.
A President Obama, on the other hand, CAN lead the world, because the others would WANT to follow his leadership.