Reject bigotry in all its forms, Obama urges countrymen

A file photo of US President Barack Obama. Reuters

Washington, December 10; In a veiled attack on leading Republican presidential aspirant Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, US President Barack Obama has urged his countrymen to reject bigotry in all its forms. “We condemn ourselves to shackles once more if we fail to answer those who wonder if they’re truly equals in their communities, or in their justice systems, or in a job interview. We betray the efforts of the past if we fail to push back against bigotry in all its forms,” Obama said on Wednesday at the Capitol while marking the end of slavery. While Obama did not name Trump in his remarks, analysts said his statement was aimed towards some of the anti-Muslim rhetoric of the Republican presidential candidates including his call to ban all Muslims entering the United States. “But we betray our most noble past as well if we were to deny the possibility of movement, the possibility of progress; if we were to let cynicism consume us and fear overwhelm us. "If we lost hope,” Obama said. “For however slow, however incomplete, however harshly, loudly, rudely challenged at each point along our journey, in America, we can create the change that we seek,” he said. Acknowledging that Obama’s message was quite contrary to the one delivered by the Republican candidate, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest later told reporters that the US president had delivered similar messages in the past. “I think this is quite consistent with the message the President has been delivering for a number of years,” he said. “It’s a message that has resonated with a significant majority of the American population and, yes, it stands in quite stark contrast to the language, message, and values that’s being promulgated not just by Trump, but by a variety of Republican candidates in the presidential field,” Earnest said. He said Obama’s speech was a forceful and passionate defense of the kinds of values that the country has long defended. “While serving in this office and even before serving in this office, the President took up the mantle of defending for and advocating for those values,” Earnest said. “At each turn over the course of our country’s history, where we have perceived that our country has fallen short of our commitment to those values, we have, even in the face of significant obstacles, summoned the courage and the tenacity to overcome those obstacles and form a more perfect union,” Earnest added. Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the US, in the wake of a mass shooting in California by a Muslim couple believed to have been radicalised. The remark was the latest in a series of increasingly virulent remarks by Trump in recent weeks. — PTI. Source: Article

Read More........ → December 10, 2015

Barack Obama: Enough is enough, access to weapons must end

US President Barack Obama denounced the country’s epidemic of gun violence on Saturday and renewed a call for tougher controls on military-style weapons after yet another deadly shooting, saying “enough is enough.” The latest bloodshed came on Friday when a man entered a family planning clinic in the state of Colorado and allegedly opened fire, killing three people, including a police officer, and wounding nine others. The motive of the suspect now under arrest was not known and the police was to interrogate him Saturday. The tragedy came a day after Americans celebrated their cherished Thanksgiving holiday, a time to relax with family, and ushers in the holiday season in earnest. Mr Obama said the suspect had been armed with an assault weapon — that was the first official word of this detail — and he also disclosed for the first time that the man had held hostages at the Planned Parenthood centre from which he opened fire at people outside in an hours long standoff with the police. “We have to do something about the easy accessibility of weapons of war on our streets to people who have no business wielding them. Period. Enough is enough,” Mr Obama said in a statement. The gunman had entered a Planned Parenthood clinic around noon Friday and started shooting from a window. The police surrounded the building, and after an exchange of gunfire and a standoff lasting more than five hours the gunman surrendered. Local police on Saturday identified the suspect as 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear. News reports said he was from South Carolina. It was unclear whether Planned Parenthood — a major women’s health and family planning group — was the shooter’s target. Abortion is one of many services Planned Parenthood provides for women, and the association has become a lightning rod for criticism by US conservatives, among other reasons because it receives funding from the government for some health services. Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers paid tribute to police for hauling in the gunman without further bloodshed. The nine injured included five police. None of the nine were seriously wounded, he said. “While this was a terrible, terrible tragedy, it could have been much worse if not for the reactions of first responders,” Mr Sutter told reporters. The dead policeman was identified as Garrett Swasey, 44, a campus officer at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who had raced to the scene of the shooting. Officers were able to enter the building during the standoff and convince Dear to surrender, police spokeswoman Lt. Catherine Buckley told reporters. Vicki Cowart, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains, said she did not believe the center had been specifically targeted. Critics have falsely accused Planned Parenthood of selling fetal organs.Source: The Asian Age, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → November 29, 2015

The active global player

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama.

Rajiv Bhatia: If, as Harold Wilson put it, a week is ‘a long time in politics’, a year is an epoch when India showed unprecedented foreign policy activism. Students of International Relations have never had it so good. PM Modi-led South Block has provided enough material to them to produce innumerable essays, papers and possibly books. Should this pace be maintained, imagine how rich the pickings will be by 2019! It is not just about PM’s tours which took him to places as far apart as Fortaleza and Fiji, Vancouver and Ulan Bator, Brasilia and Xi'an in 19 countries. The more important aspects of the recent management of external relations are: India’s expanding worldview; deep conviction that foreign policy is an indispensable instrument to promote the nation's security and economic development; and firm belief that modern diplomacy is impactful when sustained by a blend of personal chemistry among leaders, engagement of business and civil society and a clever use of social media. Linking up with the Indian diaspora is a notable novelty. A close look at the incoming and outgoing visits at VIP and VVIP level during May 2014-May 2015 reveals at least four key trends about foreign policy. First, top priority has been accorded to our neighbours in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Relations with Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, beside Mauritius and Seychelles, are stronger than before. Some features of the changing situation in Afghanistan are not to India’s liking, but President Ashraf Ghani’s visit has helped to ameliorate the atmosphere. Given its complex internal politics, Maldives has become quite a challenge that needs suitable handling. The perpetual bête noire — Pakistan — remains an enigma. Neither ‘hawks’ nor ‘doves’ in New Delhi have a credible plan to offer. After a fluctuating start, Modi government has settled on a policy of firmness, backed by an inclination not to be obsessed with the western neighbour. Secondly, PM Modi revels in sitting at the high table. He has had numerous opportunities of dialogue with them. His visit to US and President Obama’s ‘historic’ visit to New Delhi and presence at the Republic Day have undoubtedly contributed to strengthening of India-US relations. Modi’s visits to France, Germany and Canada, each marked by solid achievements, have consolidated ‘the western pillar’ of India’s external relations. The visit to Japan served the same purpose and resulted in strengthening India's standing in Asia. India-Russia relations in strategic and defense matters remain as strong as before. China has been deservedly receiving sustained, high level attention. Xi Jinping’s visit to India lost much of its sheen due to the border incursions episode in Ladakh. Modi’s visit to China proved to be more productive, despite continuing divergences on a range of issues such as the boundary question, Pakistan, visa policy and trade deficit. Nevertheless, the process of the two countries getting to know each other better, on a wider scale, is now under way. Thirdly, the shift from ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’ policy has been received well, but to gain credibility it should begin to show some tangible results soon. Fourthly, the role in multilateral institutions like UN, G-20, EAS and BRICS has been marked by India’s pro-activism, clear articulation of concepts dear to us, and endeavour to generate synergy. This stems from the NDA government’s vision of India’s priorities and place in the world. But diplomatic success so far should not tempt the government to lose sight of the unfinished agenda. There is a rising clamour for Indian leaders, especially the Prime Minister, to visit Central Asia, West Asia, Africa and Latin America. The third India-Africa Forum Summit, due in October, should be used creatively to project and deepen India’s links with the developing world. Ties with Africa have immense potential; much of it is still untapped. On a visit to Brussels and Berlin last week, this author detected intense interest in European circles to hold the long-delayed India-EU Summit as soon as possible. This should be scheduled quickly, together perhaps with PM's visit to UK. Strategic community has been bubbling with many other ideas. Our policymakers would do well to interact with some of the leading scholars and experts who could be assembled under the auspices of Heads of Think Tanks (HOTT) Forum, based in New Delhi. Modi, hailed by Time as ‘the next global player’, has been the chief protagonist. But the contribution of others should not be ignored. The government as a whole deserves to be applauded for an outstanding performance in foreign policy and diplomacy. Now it might be experiencing the burden of rising expectations. Hence an increased focus on follow-up actions, delivery mechanisms and deployment of additional resources deserves priority. Above all, let us remember: like charity, foreign policy begins at home. Therefore, a strong economy and a more harmonious, consensus-driven polity should be our permanent goals. (A former ambassador, the author is director-general of the Indian Council of World Affairs. Views are personal.) The active global player | The Asian Age, Image: flickr.com

Read More........ → August 04, 2015