For President-elect Barack Obama, the Urgent Demands of a Perilous World
America's soft power—its ability to persuade without coercion or force—has taken a major hit during the Bush years. The early overseas take on Bush as a unilateralist too quick to use force was never overturned, despite a more pragmatic second-term foreign policy. Go-it-alone tendencies on climate change, international justice, arms control, and—above all—Iraq harmed U.S. standing and invigorated anti-Americanism. America's moral authority was further battered by the way Washington waged the war on terrorism, especially reports of abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo.
Foreign politicians have avoided appearing too close to the United States. "Being helpful to the Americans is the kiss of death in domestic politics," says Joseph Nye, a Harvard political scientist and former Pentagon official who coined the "soft power" term. "Obama will find there is residual suspicion of the U.S."
One partial antidote to that toxic mood is Obama himself. His racial heritage and improbable rise to the peak of global power have resonated deeply in much of the world. He reminds all of the American capacity for renewal and change and of what can happen in a real democracy. With an Obama presidency, predicts Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean college dean and former diplomat, "at least half of the anti-Americanism will vanish."
Obama vows to restore America's standing in the world. But he will find that his diplomatic machine is sputtering. Underfunded and understaffed, the American Foreign Service is not primed for the diplomatic surge Obama may want to unleash. "Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the diplomatic capacity of the United States has been hollowed out," charges a report by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Stimson Center.
Recession. The reservoir of soft power available to Obama has been depleted further by the financial meltdown. The recession's mounting costs will limit foreign aid and other initiatives abroad. Obama is being handed both an apparent global downturn and, for the first time since 1982, a drop in world trade. The economic pain dims chances for reviving world trade talks. Poverty may balloon, provoking unrest where governments are fragile. More difficult, too, will be the transition to a new-style energy economy, with its considerable technology investments and costly steps to curb greenhouse gases. Bearing down early on the Obama administration are negotiations for a new global climate-change pact, due next December.
The new president also inherits an unprecedented two wars that have each lasted longer than the U.S. role in the two world wars, combined. Bush's elective war to topple Saddam Hussein will live on as a scene-setter for the Obama years. As a candidate, Obama rode to victory in part on his opposition to the Iraq invasion. He has been calling to withdraw U.S. combat troops within 16 months, leaving a residual force of thousands to train the Iraqis and for contingencies. Now, he will confront a separate timetable laid out in a new U.S.-Iraqi security agreement that establishes a Dec. 31, 2011, withdrawal date. Obama will benefit from the reduced insurgent violence that reflects both Bush's gamble on a U.S. troop surge (still at 146,000) and shaky truces by key Shiite and Sunni parties.
The advances have come at enormous cost: more than 4,200 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis dead and outlays approaching $700 billion. The gains are very fragile, and a core uncertainty remains: Will Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish Iraqis restrain their sectarian and ethnic rivalries long enough to hold together as a nation?
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I am BK. Chandrakant, dedicated member of Prajapita Brahma
Kumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, Mount Abu. I am doing GODLY Service
in the IT Department. I have observed several GOD virtues in you.
1. Simplicityis the beauty of all values
2. Truth.is the foundation of all values
3.Contentment is the embodiment of all values
4. Respect. is the dembonstration of all values
5. Cheerfulness is the evidence of all values
6. Intravertness is the kay of all values
7. Humility is the protector of all values
8. Sweetness is the flavour of values
9. patience is the fortress of all values
10.Purity is the mother of all values
11. Courage is the heart of all values
12. LOve is the queen of all velues
13. Peace is the king of all values
14.honestty is the guru of all values
What is your opinion on GOD and his Duties. Do you believe in GOD
and have you tried to know more about him. Just come down to Mount
Abu.
So we are inviting you to attend our campus. at your convenience. We
will be delighted to see you at Mount abu.
BK.Chandrakant
Welcome to Brahma Kumaris IT & Communications
The Aim of 'IT & Communications' is to become
instrumental in bringing effictiveness, creativity,
stress free life and work style through ''Spirituality.
Our endeavor is to bring peace, harmony , unity among
the beings and to make the world a global peaceful
village and also to encounter anti social and evil
powers from the globe.
Our IT & Communications team render volantry services
to individuals associated with IT & Corporate sector
through various self development programs .
Our aim is to promote the ethical values in the
world being done through various seminars ,
conferences, dialogues, workshops, IT retreats etc.
Therefore I am inviting to you at least once, you have to come
to our Mount Abu (Shantivan), Rajastan,INDIA which is mostly
famous hill station all over the world.
Most interesting Hall in our shantivan is Diamond Hall
In this hall there are 30,000 person can sits for conference
All are invited from all over the world.
Thanks and Regards
------------------
BK.Chandrakant
DR.DADI PAKASH MANI
ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD OF.THE BHRANMA KUUMARI,S
WORLD SPIRITUAL VIERSIY.MT.ABU RAJASTAN INDIA
FORHER OUTSANDING CONTRIBATION
HUMAN WELFARE GLOBAL PEACE
Raj yogini dadi Hri daya mo hiniji
An,Angel of Peace on Earith
RAJ YOGINI DADI JANKI
TARBL MAIT OF GOD RAET HAND
WORLD SPIRITUAL VIERSIY .MT.ABU RAJASTAN.INDIN
CIP OF BRAHMA KUMARI,S
What is your opinion on GOD and his Duties. Do you believe in GOD
and have you tried to know more about him. Just come down to Mount
Abu.
So we are inviting you to attend our campus. at your convenience. We
will be delighted to see you at Mount abu
MR GODWIN DANIEL
my name is mr Godwin daniel,
I am from Burkina faso west africa ouagadougou, really i love the hard work of mr barak obama,
below is my email for morn comminication
The world Obama inherits
Every US President comes into office faced with considerable problems -- THEY DO NOT INHERIT THESE, because they sought this position and if they did their homework, should know the existing conditions and come prepared to offer solutions. Obama mentions this "inherit" thing at every opportunity. Mr. Obama and his supporters should stop whining and complaining they inherited a mess.
World-wide goodwill was squandered because Congress and the American Press did nothing in the 8 years of the Bush administration but trash this country. According to them, America did nothing good to the world and caused every disaster to ever happen during Bush's tenure. They claim we cause Global warming, we caused the 9/11 attack, we lied about WMD, we tortured terrorists, we were breaking international law, etc... If I was a young adult in another country with limited access to alternative press and only got news from the mainstream american press, I would think America is the most evil country in the history of the world. And now? We have no less than the President of this GREAT country making these same irresponsible allegations and apologizing around the world as if we are actually guilty... Amazing!
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