The US Election went as expected. The face of change, international cooperation and reform is the President-elect.
Americans are proud- and hopeful.
The future. . . however, is not bright. The most optimistic of Obama's supporters will likely be disenchanted, but I hope not.
Now that November Fourth has passed, Wall Street will resume it's decline.
Putin has already responded to our shift in the White House by moving missiles next door to Poland.
And there are of course our two ongoing wars. Many military analysts agree that nothing will be achieved by prolonging our occupation of Iraq; because the socio-cultural puzzle is just too complicated, because we destroyed the country's infrastructure, etc... So, yes we will leave that country while attempting to prop up the government. A likely scenario, we'll just treat the country like Nigeria, get our oil and let the locals sort the mess. Afghanistan is not a lost cause, keeping in mind that we haven't put any real effort into the fight, so as we try to control and rebuild we must keep in mind the lessons of the Soviet Union's campaign there. We have to pay close attention because of the perilous situation in Pakistan, a country not to be trifled with.
The financial meltdown has not peaked yet, credit card companies have not released the full extent of damages and invariably they will have an unaffordable bill on their hands.
The Democrats won the Executive and the Senate, it's a golden opportunity for them to implement difficult and necessary reforms- legislative and cultural. If they fail to act on their mandate, the Democrats will be scapegoated for everything that is going wrong.
Fortunately, the sheer amount of popular enthusiasm for the new President is going to empower the Executive.
Personally, I have rarely witnessed such mass euphoria for a politician. May his path be in the Light.
