Expectations in stratosphere, test cold reality on the ground

Amir Dost Mohammed Khan of Afghanistan once observed to the first American in his country that the US electoral process was much like a Loya Jirga that the Afghans followed.

Amir Dost Mohammed Khan of Afghanistan once observed to the first American in his country that the US electoral process was much like a Loya Jirga that the Afghans followed. A remarkably astute observation by a truly remarkable personality. Well, the American Loya Jirga has decided at the end of an archaic, convoluted, and expensive process. The remarkable Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States despite having the least legislative, or executive, experience of possibly any candidate in more than a century. The force of energy behind 8216;change8217; can be understood by this little fact. Voters have given a toss to experience for the sheer thrill, and rush, for change.

Barack Obama follows in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and Lewis Hamilton by breaking through yet another bastion of colour, lineage, privilege, and restrictions imposed by prejudice. Like the previous two, his is also an extraordinary journey, and achievement. But unlike the other two, his feat is as much a personal accomplishment as it is of voters of the United States. They bought his message of change, and carried it through the ballot box. Laudatory greetings are owed as much to Barack Obama as they are the American voters.

A number of democratic societies experience just such a rush to enforce change as the US voters have done now. Expectations are raised to stratospheric levels, in that momentary lapse of reason. Such hopes are never possible to manage in totality, for the simple reason that the coalition of interests that creates such expectations has its own inbuilt contradictions. In such cases electoral honeymoons are a fleeting moment, and don8217;t live up to the targets expected. Just such a honeymoon was evident within a section of India, as in much of the world too. The Obama phenomenon consumed more news space and television time amongst the English-speaking slice of Indian society than, for example, recent terrorist incidents in the country. This fact reflects as much on Obama8217;s attraction, as it does the Indian elite8217;s distraction from local events. An unhealthy occurrence in the simplest of times. But these times are far from simple, and in fact call for extraordinary alertness, and analysis.

Passion needs to give way to coldness if the Indian fascination for Obama is to be analysed objectively. Like all politicians he too represents certain predetermined policies and interests. Some call it ideological baggage, while others label it constituency interests. Called either way, it corresponds to principles that carry the message. The right to strike, and cultural nationalism, to give two Indian examples.

The attraction radiating between India and the US could well be the cause of serious disquiet between the two countries in the near future. Republicans and Democrats of the US are equally prone to proselytising.

The difference is in the methods, and motives. The former divide the world into good and evil, and evil pays the price, through bombs and/or bullying. In the Democrat scheme of things everybody pays a price. Or as one senior member said succinctly, 8216;we must all lose some sovereignty to make the world a better place8217;.

Now nothing rankles and prickles Indians more than dilution of this hard-earned 8216;sovereignty8217;. Within the year India will be put to the test, and it is hardly surprising that the issue will be over nuclear matters. The deal was sold to India as the coming closer of two countries. With the NPT review conference due in 2010, the onus will be on India to prove its non-proliferation commitments. After all, that is how it was sold to legislators within the US, and outside. And it was the same Obama who had previously moved a most intrusive amendment possible. His commitment hasn8217;t changed. The onus will be on India to prove if it has, or not.

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The extraordinary Amir bequeathed to his country forces that are still in play in Afghanistan. Every country in the neighbourhood has to confront those forces, jointly. Which then will be the, foreign policy litmus test of Obama8217;s message of change. In this case his ideological baggage does not preclude humility, by itself the first manifestation of change.

The writer is a BJP MP from Barmer, Rajasthan