Hail Obama - But can he really deliver?

Elizabeth M.Kein
Past President, American Society for Quality

I think it’s too early to say what Barack Obama would do for the world or for that matter, how he would shape his relationship with Asian nations. I strongly feel that we need to sit and watch at this point of time what this flambuoyant man can do. But we need to think about his hard, and Americans must not think that Obama will solve all problems of the US at one go. It’s not easy for him either to solve the economic and social problems that the US is facing right now. It is indeed challenging.

We all know about the conditions of India and China and their booming economies, and to talk about how Obama will treat these two countries needs attention. I think from the global economic perspective, he should maintain a very strong relationship with both of these countries of Asia. And fortunately, he will have a comparatively good time in Asia, as the latter people have more patience than Americans, and they understand that it will take time to bring in the changes needed. Improving quality of lifestyle in Asia and improving the standards of bilateral relationships are both challenging and time consuming.

Challenging in the sense that lots of past efforts have been wasted, and now it would be difficult for Obama to convince the political authorities in Asian countries. And then there’s the perception of the US being a country hit by depression. To overcome such challenges will take time. So, if you look at the bigger picture – and if Obama can overcome such challenges – Asia will have a very strong and perhaps symbiotic relationship with the US, and this would be beneficial for the stability of the global economy. Current problems like global malnutrition, we all know, is mostly a logistical problem, and Asia can be a solution to such problems. ....Continue