قابل للنقاش من واشنطن : فوز باراك أوباما بولاية ثانية

DR. HASHIM EL-TINAY

THE MEANING OF PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA'S REELECTION
INTERVIEW BY NOUFER RAMOUL AGHLY, DUBAI TV, NOV 2012

Calling for societal renewal through cross-cultural and interfaith research, education, dialogue and understanding and upholding the universal values of freedom, justice, peace, democracy and prosperity for all in the 21st Century.

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THE OBAMA LEGACY AND AMERICAN AWAKENING: 
TOWARD A NEW DAWN OF A CULTURE OF PEACE??!!



WE SEEM TO BE WITNESSING A GLOBAL POPULAR AWAKENING THAT THE OLD SYSTEM OF THOUGHT AND ACTION IS NO LONGER VIABLE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ASPIRATIONS OF ALL THE PEOPLE.  I AM BLESSED TO BE ONE OF MANY WHO HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING, SINCE THE MID 1980S, FOR HUMANITY'S NEED FOR THIS.

FROM AFRICA, TO ASIA, TO EUROPE, TO AUSTRALIA, TO LATIN AMERICA AND TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PEOPLE SEEM TO FINALLY START WAKING UP TO THE NEED TO UNITE, ORGANIZE AT THE GRASS ROOTS LEVEL AND TO PEACEFULLY TAKE ACTION TO BRING AN END TO THE SMALL POLITICS OF NON-SENSE AND REPLACE THEM WITH A MATURER POLITICS OF COMMONSENSE.

A POLITICS BASED ON THE UNIVERSAL VALUES ENSHRINED IN THE AMERICAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE AS A MAJOR STATEMENT ON HUMAN RIGHTS: "WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS".

THIS HAS BEEN POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE LIKES OF STEVE JOBS AND BILL GATES OF THE WORLD, THE RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS, THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION AND FINALLY THE ADVENT OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. WHICH MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME SPEAKING TO YOU DIRECTLY BYPASSING THE GATEKEEPERS OF THOUGHT AND THE VIGILANT GESTAPOS AGAINST THOUGHT LEADERS AND NOVEL IDEAS.

AT A DEEPER LEVEL THOUGH, ALL THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE, IN MY VIEW, WITHOUT THE RESILIENT, RESISTANT TRUTH THAT IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE HUMAN HEART AND THAT HAS BEEN DENIED THROUGH MISINFORMATION AND THE FORCE OF ARMS FOR TOO LONG.

IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE TEACHINGS ABOUT THE TRUE ESSENCE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT THROUGH THE AGES. TEACHINGS THAT HAVE BEEN COURAGEOUSLY TOUGHT, REFINED, SUSTAINED AND RENEWED BY PEOPLE OF VARIOUS GENERATIONS, CULTURES, RELIGIONS AND RACES THROUGH THE LONG HISTORY OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

ALL THIS GAVE US THE ARAB SPRING IGNITED BY EXAMPLES OF ORDINARY GRASS ROOTS PEOPLE DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. IT GAVE US TAREK AL-TAYEB MOHAMED BOUAZIZI, TUNISIA'S 26 YEARS' OLD WHO BURNED HIMSELF AND DIED ON JANUARY 4TH, 2011 AS AN EXPRESSION OF OUTRAGE AGAINST A TYRANNICAL OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM THAT HUMILIATED HIM AND ALL THE TUNISIAN PEOPLE IT WAS CLAIMING TO SERVE.

BEFORE MOHAMED BOUAZIZI IT GAVE US PEOPLE LIKE MARVIN GAY WHOSE POEM QUESTIONING THE WISDOM OF THE VIET NAM WAR AND ABOUT WAR AND PEACE IMMORTALIZED IN HIS UNIVERSALLY TOUCHING SONG "WHAT IS GOING ON???!!!".

IT THEN GAVE US BOB MARLY OF JAMAICA'S PROPHETIC SONG FOR CHANGE "GET UP: STAND UP: STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT/GET UP STAND UP DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT" AS DID DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JUNIOR'S LEGACY AS A 20TH CENTURY PEACE ADVOCATE WHOSE BIRTHDAY WE ARE CELEBRATING TODAY.

THE SAME DAY AMERICA AND THE WORLD ARE CELEBRATING THE SWEARING IN OF PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA AS AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT, IN HISTORICALLY WHITE DOMINATED AMERICA. IT FINALLY GAVE US NELSON MANDELA WHOSE LIBERATION STRUGGLE MADE A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC SOUTH AFRICA POSSIBLE.

REALIZING AND LEARNING, THE HARD WAY, THE LESSONS OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS' EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE AND WANTON VIOLENCE QUESTIONING THE POLITICIANS RHETORICAL HYPE IN JUSTIFYING THEIR FEAR, GREED, ARROGANCE DRIVEN, TRIGGER HAPPY WAR-MONGERING POLICIES.

THERE IS A GROWING AWARENESS THAT AMERICA'S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL MELTDOWN WAS CAUSED BY AN-OUT-OF-CONTROL WALL STREET RUN-AMOC LAISSEZ FAIRE AND TWO UNPOPULAR WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. THAT THOSE WERE THE ROOT CAUSES AND THE LOGICAL OUTCOME OF THE FEAR AND, A SHOOT FIRST ASK LATER SMALL UNTHOUGHTFUL POLITICS, THAT UNLEASHED AMERICA'S WORST DEMONS, PURSUED BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S ADMINISTRATION.

THAT AWARENESS, IN MY VIEW, HELPED AWAKEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THEIR YOUTH AND WOMEN, TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND FINALLY FACE THEIR MOMENT OF TRUTH, COME OF AGE AND DARE TO SET FREE THEIR BETTER ANGELS.

POLITICS BEING THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE TO TAKE CREDIT THAT DESPITE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONDITIONING TO THE CONTRARY, HAVE SUCCEEDED IN ELECTING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN NOVEMBER 2008 AND RE-ELECTED HIM IN NOVEMBER 2012, THUS MAKING HISTORY TWICE.

THOSE IN AMERICA AND IN THE WORLD WHO ARE THE GATEKEEPERS OF THE STATUS QUO AND THE OLD REGIME STILL CONTINUE CLINGING TO THE OLD OPPRESSIVE, AND GUN-CENTERED GOVERNANCE PARADIGM. A PARADIGM MOTIVATED BY OLD HABITS OF GREED, FEAR, LOVE OF POWER AND SHEER CYNICISM AND ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY.

BUT WE SHOULD NEVER LOSE HOPE IN THE GROWTH OF THE COMMUNITIES OF EVER MORE AWARE AND EVEN ENLIGHTENED FOLKS THANKS TO THE FAST GROWING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. THE AWAKEN PEOPLE'S MARCHES FROM THE GRASS ROOTS IN AMERICA AND AROUND THE WORLD, WILL BE UNSTOPPABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY.

THAT IS WHY I HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING, SINCE 1985, FOR THE NEED FOR A 21ST CENTURY SOCIETAL LIBERATION (FROM OSSIFIED, OBSOLETE AND NO LONGER RELEVANT OR BELIEVABLE HISTORIES, NARRATIVES, PARADIGMS, IDEAS AND CONCEPTS), TRANSFORMATION AND RENEWAL, WHICH BECAME MY CALLING, VISION AND MISSION.

WE LIVE AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN HUMAN AWAKENING AND WE SEEM TO BE WRITING A NEW CHAPTER OF THE BEGINNING OF A 21ST CENTURY JOURNEY OF SOCIETAL LIBERATION, TRANSFORMATION AND RENEWAL. WE ARE WITNESSING, I HOPE, THE BEGINNING OF A MORE TRUTHFUL, INCLUSIVE AND HONEST HISTORY OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION, A WATERSHED.

ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS POINT TO THE HUMAN YEARNING FOR FREEDOM, DIGNITY, PEACE, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE. THE TIME OF SMALL, MANIPULATIVE, FEAR AND GUN-CENTERED POLITICS IS OVER. THE TIME OF THOUGHTFUL, ENLIGHTENED, PROGRESSIVE, PEACE-CENTERED POLITICS IS DAWNING.

THE PEOPLE AWAKENED ARE ON THE MOVE AND THEY WILL CONTINUE THE HARD WORK OF MOVING FORWARD. THE CHALLENGE IS TO MOVE FROM A CULTURE OF DEATH, FEAR, GUNS, VIOLENCE AND WAR-MONGERING TO A CULTURE OF LIFE, TRUST, DIALOGUE AND PEACE.

WITH HUMILITY, PERSEVERANCE AND A FOCUS ON SEEKING COMMON GROUND TO RESOLVE THE EVER COMPLEX PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES FACING ALL SOCIETIES IN THIS NEW AGE OF GLOBALIZATION PEOPLE EXPECT THEIR DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED LEADERS TO RAISE TO THE OCCASION. TO GIVE PARAMOUNT PRIORITY TO SERVING THE COMMON GOOD.

THREE QUESTIONS COME TO MIND:

1-    CAN  PRESIDENT OBAMA USE HIS CLEAR WIN OF NOVEMBER 2012 AND HIS SECOND TERM IN OFFICE, WHICH WILL BE HIS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE DELIVERING ON THE HOPE AND A CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN AGENDA THAT THE PEOPLE ELECTED HIM TO DO AND FIX AMERICA'S SHAKY ECONOMY?!

2-    CAN PRESIDENT OBAMA, WHOSE WIN OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE DID NOT STOP HIM FROM THE CONTROVERSIAL USE OF AMERICAN DRONES, DELIVER ON THE POPULAR AND DEEPER HUMAN YEARNING FOR LIBERATION, TRANSFORMATION AND RENEWAL OF THEIR SOCIETIES AND ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES?!

3-     BASED ON 1 AND 2 ABOVE, CAN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LEGACY INCLUDE THE USHERING IN OF THE DAWN OF A NEW TRULY HUMANIST CIVILIZATION OF THE HEART IN AMERICA, IN AFRICA AND IN THE WORLD ?!

FINALLY, TO REALLY DELIVER ON SOCIETAL MUTATIONS OF HISTORICAL PROPORTIONS, WHILE ONE PERSON MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, WHICH PRESIDENT OBAMA CERTAINLY ALREADY HAS. BESIDE BEING THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT, HE ALSO CREATED THE GREATEST GRASS ROOTS POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN. HOWEVER,  IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES , AS JOHN F. KENNEDY SAID, EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD TRY.

THERE IS REASON FOR OPTIMISM JUDGING BY THE MILITARY-TYPE ASSAULT WEAPONS, BUSHMASTERS, MACHINE GUNS AND HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINES BAN LEGISLATION ON THE WAKE OF A WAVE OF MASS SHOOTINGS SUCH AS THE RECENT SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING TRAGEDY.

ANOTHER REASON FOR OPTIMISM IS THE PEOPLES' COMMITMENT TO HIS VISION AND THE  " RESPECT, EMPOWER, INCLUDE" MOTTO OF HIS NEWLY ESTABLISHED GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION CALLED  ORGANIZING FOR ACTION.

GREAT TO BE A PART OF ALL THIS. THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW.
SO LET EACH ONE OF US DO THEIR PART. LET US GET BACK TO WORK.