Renewing America and the World

Four years ago, just after the re-election of George W Bush, I was involved in a discussion with an American, an Indian and a Nigerian on US politics. I was surprised that America re-elected Bush in spite of what had become clear-his incompetence and lack of intellectual ability to handle that important office. But as someone who philosophically always looks for the good in any circumstances, I had reached a new, positive angle-Bush’s re-election would so damage America that it would isolate the US voters from the Republican party and lead to a long period of Democratic rule once his tenure was over. I suggested these viewpoints that day to vigorous debate by my dinner companions.

I never imagined then the degree George W Bush’s erosion of American power-economic, political, and military and its influence and respect in the world go. America under Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld (until his position as Secretary for Defence became completely untenable), Karl Rove and the “neo-cons” (with Bush as surrogate) has behaved so irresponsibly that it has lost the respect of the rest of the world. America’s European allies and admirers from developing nations (like this columnist) who held the United States up as a model for democracy and constitutionalism have been embarrassed by American torture of prisoners of war, rigged elections in Florida and a government that seeks to project power by deception, propaganda, bluster and brute force.

The Republicans accuse democrats of being “tax and spend”, “big government” advocates, but have presided over the unprecedented expansion of the US budget deficits and national debt and are now having to nationalise the financial sector. In foreign policy their only strategy is war, and even that they handle poorly leading to unnecessary loss of lives and increase in global tension. They mouth poorly thought-out and out-dated ideologies and have now brought the US economy to its knees, weakened its leadership in education, science and technology, and potentially threatening to erode its military power as well. Unfortunately the world cannot gloat over American weakness! Would you prefer a world dominated by China, Russia, Iran, India or by the likes of Osama Bin Laden?

The world is disappointed by US behaviour over the last eight years precisely because enlightened observers recognise that the values of democracy, liberty, opportunity, free enterprise, personal responsibility, patriotism and civic citizenship, global cooperation and faith which America has come to symbolise are ideals to which the rest of the world should aim. America under Bush and the neo-cons have moved away from those ideals. Instead America has looked more and more like its enemies, as it abandons moral superiority in favour of force and unilateralism. If the neo-cons who have held the Republican Party hostage must hold on to power by all means, at least they could be a little bit more competent!

Amazingly they have learnt absolutely nothing over the last eight years. Seeing that the Republican brand is so badly damaged, they do a deal with John McCain, the only Republican who could plausibly claim to be different from Bush; take over and revive his floundering campaign; select Sarah Palin for him as running-mate (who like Bush does not have the intellectual capacity to function in high office and who can be manipulated and tele-guided in office) and cynically go about persuading America to continue in the same path that has brought that great country almost to its knees. Since McCain is 72 years old, it can be presumed that at best he will be a single-term leader, and may not even make it to the end of his first term. Against that background, the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate is irresponsible and demonstrates all that is wrong with Bush’s America.

Competence does not matter-propaganda will take care of that, and it makes it easy for a shadowy group to control her; she is the candidate of the evangelical right and family values, even if her 17-year old daughter is pregnant and her sister has gone through a messy divorce-it doesn’t matter that Obama is happily married, with absolutely unimpeachable family values; she and McCain will reform Washington even if McCain has been there for twenty-six years and she is under investigation in Alaska for firing the man who refused to fire her former brother-in-law; it doesn’t matter that she just got an international passport and travelled outside the US in 2007-all she has to do is arrange some photo-ops with Kissinger, use the words “bless us” every now and then (to appeal to the Christian right), avoid direct media interviews, mock Barrack Obama, and appeal to cultural conservatives. It really is a shame.

The choice before American voters on November 4 goes beyond voting for president. Americans will be voting either to renew America or signal the beginning of the end of the American era. When great empires decline, it is often characterised by a succession of weak and incompetent leaders and a leadership elite that refuses to learn from initial errors. If America votes for Obama, it will be a vote for renewal, revival and re-invigoration. It will be a message to the world that its time for a world free of prejudice and divisiveness. opeyemiagbaje.blogspot.com

Agbaje is CEO of Resources and Trust Company Ltd-a strategy, consultancy and business advisory firm. RTC POLICY is the policy, government and political consultancy division while RTC Strategy and Advisory offers private sector advisory services.