Daily Times

President Barrack Obama was under ‘scrutiny’ by political analysts, commentators and, more so, by Muslims throughout the world after the promises he made in Cairo in first week of June 2009. Neocons, warmongers and enemies of peace wished to use Obama’s soft visage to restore the US’s credibility. President Obama’s gestures about negotiations with Iran without preconditions; a president who talked about Hamas as a legitimate organisation that represents a part of the Palestinian society, but one that needs to relinquish violence; who spoke with empathy about Palestinian sufferings; who spoke about security not only for Israelis but also for Palestinians; who said that all the settlements are illegal; who called for nuclear disarmament of the entire region, had given a new hope to the world. US President Barrack Obama was perhaps destined to restore America’s image by clearing the mess created by his predecessor George W. Bush.

Now finally, President Obama seems to be poised for a paradigm shift in US policies that could restore the image of the US. President Barack Obama was critical of British Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy over their roles in Libya after the fall of Gaddafi. In an interview with The Atlantic, he said that British leader David Cameron got distracted and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention in Libya. He said: “US bombing had wiped out all the air defences and set up the infrastructure for the success of the operation.” France is said to have avoided airstrikes stating that missions had left for the bases, which was a blatant lie. France indeed used drones, and attacked the convoy of Moammar Gaddafi, but he escaped and hid himself under a bridge where Libyan rebels’ militia men shot him in his head and stomach.

In fact, there was a lot of pressure from hawks in US Congress to send ground forces in Libya, but Obama deflected their pressure and resorted to massive bombing and destroyed Libya’s defence system. President Obama, during his election campaign, had promised to be the opposite of George W. Bush. He is indeed different from George W. Bush, who was arrogant and believed that only the US was great. President Obama on the other hand wanted to take along allies but expected of them to play their role as per their commitment. However, he had refused to send ground troops to Libya, as he did not like to be a part of any new adventure.

Obama has been reassuring the Muslim world that the US is not against any religion and respects all religions including Islam. He is also aware of Russia’s desire to seek preponderance in Central Asian states, and its determination to support its allies like Syria. It appears America will wean off the policy of regime change at least for the time being due to the situation emanating from attacks on Iraq, Afghanistan and airstrikes on Libya, where its ambassador was killed. Since the government’s collapse, Libya has descended into near-anarchy and is ruled by rival militias vying for power, while the Islamic State (IS) has also gained influence in the country.

By every indication, the Libyan autocrat Moammer Gaddafi had been cornered tightly by the risen Libyans. His son and heir apparent Saif al-Islam had been frantically sending out strong conciliatory signals to the agitators. In so many words, he had been articulating seriously the desire to work out a plausible settlement for bringing the uprising to a peaceful denouement. But the European adventurers would have none of it; and nothing short of his head would have gratified them. They had roped in the Americans in the adventure as well. They also had readymade allies in the Gulf sheikhdoms and monarchies, ironically themselves no open polities. With the use of massive military power the compulsive adventurists not only had the Libyan autocrat toppled but also saw him assassinated. But what has become of the ‘liberated’ Libya? The country stands parcelled out between numerous uncontrollable militias, and divided on the eastern and western fault lines as well as on tribal and confessional lines.

While the Libyans are living in this turmoil, knowing not what the present means for them and what the future holds for them, the adventurists are having a jolly good time in their metropolises and holiday resorts. Earlier, they had invaded Iraq on the pretext that it possessed weapons of mass destruction which were never found. Of course, Britain had played ignominious role in telling lies about Iraq importing Uranium from Africa. In October 2015 during an interview with CNN, former British PM, Tony Blair had apologized for his ‘mistakes’ including lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and admitted that IS had emerged because of the invasion of Iraq. His confession cannot make up for the death and destruction during the war; however Bush and Blair stand exposed for their lies, ruses and subterfuges.

Last year, Iran and six major world powers had reached a nuclear deal after more than a decade of negotiations. The world had hailed the nuclear deal; President Barack Obama termed the agreement as “major step to a more hopeful world”. Of course, Saudi Arabia and Israel were unhappy over the deal for different reasons; however they failed to achieve their objective of keeping Iran in isolation. This weekend President Barack Obama will be visiting Cuba to sort out and remove obstacles to travel and commerce and for the revival of diplomatic relations. The three-day trip to Havana marks the first time a sitting president will set foot in Cuba in nearly nine decades. According to insiders, the Obama administration is preparing to further ease restrictions and green light projects by U.S. companies in connection with the trip. This will change the political landscape of the world.

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at mjamil1938@hotmail.com