Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'World will miss Obama' that was published in Newsband

World will miss Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the American people one last time. He highlighted his administration’s top achievements. He warned about rising economic inequality, simmering racial divisions and regression into intractable partisanship. He has one of the highest approval ratings in recent history. He urged Americans to rebuild trust in democratic institutions by reducing the corrosive influence of money in politics.  

Obama has built an impressive legacy spanning domestic and foreign policy. Inheriting an economy buckling under a severe economic recession, he buoyed the sinking assets of American enterprise. He did excellent job in matter of Iran nuclear agreement and Osama bin Laden. Obama, however, was less effective in détente with Russia and China.

Obama was U.S.’s first African-American president and a man of the 21st century. In spite of the negative approach of the Conservative Republican Law Makers who vowed to see that none of his plans go through the Congress because of their racial hatred towards him, the people really admired him for the way he and his family conducted themselves in the White House during the last 8 years. No doubt, Obama will go down in the annals of the US as one of its great presidents. That, the racist republicans cannot stop.

He assumed Office with a sincere vision - as any young individual would; to rid the world of nuclear weapons, end gun-culture at home, abolition of racism, bring stability in Middle East, spur the country's economy etc. He took the bulls of Wall Street and tamed it legally.

Obama will be missed, more so because now the entire world is under a phase of political and economic transition. Democracies will have a razor-sharp eyes on the US as Trump comes to power. Trump is showing likelihood of targeting two more countries: Iran and China

Obama identified with the common man and emerged as a crusader to end terrorism. He believed in building up democratic institutions and left the post without black marks and enhanced dignity to the highest office. He will be remembered forever

Obama represents the lowest rung of the population in the USA. He made things relatively better for the coming Trump administration. Obama played the stick of diplomacy with caution and care. The 44th African-American president Barack Obama's farewell speech was quite impressive. India had expected many things from him especially in the matter of Pakistan. But after the death of Osama-bin-Laden, America's steps towards terrorism was totally redundant.

The U.S.’s first African-American president will be remembered as a thoughtful Commander-in-Chief, a leader who strived to provide a progressive template for being, and a man of the 21st century who was as comfortable with social media and popular culture as he was sensitive to searing pain of victims of gun crime or racial hate. He will be missed.