All those who were enamoured of Barack Obama's magic with words, literrally spinning a gossamer web of dreams with his rhetoric,will of course welcome the announcement from Oslo. Unlike George W. Bush, who reached out to his gun instead of quiet diplomacy, Obama has so far shown restraint and has given primacy to statecraft. I think like Theodre Rooseveldt Obama believes in taliking softly while carrying a big stick. Let me first then congratulate President Barack Obama. I am happy with the choice, though there are some disquiet already in the air.
Barack Obama as candidate for the Presidency did advocate peace in the Palestine-Israeli conflict. In fact in his Cairo University speech Obama reiterated the need for peace and even suggested a halt to the settlements on the West Bank. He successfully held a sumit meeting with the Prsident of the Palestinian Authority and Benjamin Nethayahu, the Premier of Israel. I think President Obama for all his effort towards peace did not succeed even in making the two take even a step toward peace.
As far as Iran nuclear issue is concerned, President Barak Obama has shown tremendous restraint and is still speaking the language of diplomacy. The Iranians have shown willingness to negotiate and I think the crdit for this shift goes almost entirely to Obama. But President Obama must also rule out the use of military force in the pursuit of Amarican objectives in the region, as any use of military force will engulf the Presian Gulf region in conflict. Now that President Barack Obama has got he accolade of the Nobel Peace Prize, his hand will lie lightly on the trigger.
It is in Afghanistan that President Obama faces his greatest challenge. Unlike the generals, Obama wants counter-insurgency to be aimed at providing security. In fact, the wat is slowly slipping out of hand and unless the uS shows more patience and thw willingness to absorb much more casualities, I am afraid the war in Afghanistan will end the Soviet way. So far President Barack Obama hasnot committed any major blunder. However, the war in Afghanistan will certainly fester unless the President changes his strategy. I feel the dismantling of the Pashtus areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan and their reconstitution as an independent Pashtun nation is the only solution to the problem of instability in Pakistan and insurgency in Afghanistan.
In Europe, President Barack Obama has become a hero because of his willingness to abandon the nuclear shield and accomodate Russian anxieties over Poland and Georgia. The Nobel Peace Prize is for that initiative alone.