Obama progress report - first year

It's been a year now since Barack Obama entered the White House. Since this is very much a "pop" President, I want him to succeed. The Americans will judge him by what is important to them, as well they should. I have different concerns, and I will judge him by the points I present here. None of these are easy, and I don't expect great results, but we'll see how much progress he can make.

1. Stay alive:
Obama's greatest achievement so far is of course getting elected. His election changed the complexion of the relationship between blacks and whites, and while in 2004 Morrissey could still sing that the US will never have a black President, nobody can say that now. Having a black man as the leader of the free world changes the way blacks and whites regard one another, and the way blacks regard themselves, not just in America, but all over the world. His mere presence in the White House changes the world on a day to day basis, as more and more people are getting used to the idea and learning to regard it as natural, and it makes our world a better place. However, if he got assassinated within several months after his election, all or most of that would have been lost, since people would once again say that the US might elect a black man, but never let him actually govern. So every day that passes with Obama still alive, makes our world better in that respect.

Progress: so far, so good. The first months were a bit hairy, with many Americans trying to undermine Obama's legitimacy, even going as far as suggesting that he is an enemy agent, or devil spawn. To be fair to the Americans, it seems that the main reason for that are his politics, not his color, but his color sure helps. It seems to have subsided a bit, though.

2. Prevent the crazies from getting their hands on nukes:
Obama's greatest challenge, as far as I can see. The biggest danger to the world today is that the fundamentalists would gain access to nuclear weapons - even if it doesn't destroy the world, it will change our lives for the worse in many ways. The dangerous spots today are Pakistan, Iran and North Korea.

Progress: Obama has a very tough job ahead of him. So far, I think he did a good job in getting the international community behind him, after Bush alienated everyone. We'll see if he can use it to do good.

3. Stop the collapse, and get the economy growing again:
Obama inherited the worst economic crisis in eighty years. He had to prevent the downfall of American economy, and steer the ship back towards growth.

Progress: Seems that the American economy is saved for now, although analysts claim that all the real problems have not been tended to, and a worse crash is only a matter of time. Meanwhile, the situation is still harsh.

4. Get the US out of Iraq and Afghanistan, while leaving them stable:
If the US leaves Iraq and Afghanistan in conditions that will enable the Muslim fundamentalists to claim victory, it will embolden them, and the ramifications will be bad. The US needs to find a way to withdraw without handing them this victory.

Progress: Iraq seemed to be stabilizing towards the end of Bush's tenure, and things seem to have improved even further under Obama. Troops have already been taken out, and the complete withdrawal is planned for next year. Afghanistan, on the other hand, was neglected by Bush, and Obama is shifting attention to it, so far without much success.

5. Keep the Israeli-Arab peace process going:
To keep the fundamentalists in the Middle-East at bay, we need the help of moderate Arabs. Progress in the Israeli-Arab peace process would be of great help. Not much chance of getting a lot of progress on the Palestinian channel, but any progress will be good. And there's another channel, that looks like it is ripe for a breakthrough. The two previous Democratic president both got Israel a peace deal with an Arab neighbor (Carter with Egypt, Clinton with Jordan) - if Obama plays his cards right, he has a significant chance to make Syria the third.

Progress: Israel elected a rightwing government shortly after Obama was elected. That halted the peace process, but also presents opportunities, since a rightwing government can go further with concessions than a leftwing one. Obama had two major achievements in his first year: he made PM Netanyahu commit to the two-states solution, and he got the Israeli government to agree to a temporary settlement freeze. Now he needs to get the Israeli-Palestinian process moving again, and try to reopen the Syrian channel.

6. Stop the spread of Christian fundamentalism in America:
Fundamentalism is not only a Middle-Eastern problem - you have it in the US as well. Christian fundamentalism became so strong that it had some real power in the Bush administration. And they want more.

Progress: this is more up to the American people than Obama, but he can help. For instance, by appointing liberal judges. One was already appointed.

7. Get some socialist thinking back into the economy:
I'm no ideologist when it comes to economy. I believe a good economy should maintain a good balance between free-market and welfare plans, between capitalism and socialism. In recent years, the pendulum swung strongly towards capitalism, and now we need to reverse the swing. Especially with China presenting its version of totalitarian capitalism, the West should present an alternative, a more humane form of capitalism.

Progress: Obama's administration is working hard on some reforms. They are close to passing a healthcare bill that is more humane. So far, though, not much has been achieved.


Those are the points on which I will judge Obama. None are easy. So far I'm reasonably pleased with what he has achieved.