Change

By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Editor
New York University

One year ago, I wrote about the reaction to Barack Obama's ascension to the presidency and how it signaled a time of change for the country. Since then, Michael Bloomberg hasn't declared his intention to run for president yet, but he has been re-elected mayor of New York City for a third consecutive term after successfully overturning a term limit law which relegated him to two terms. He's not a new candidate, having been in office for eight years now, but there's something about amending the written law that certainly indicates some sort of change.

I watched Obama's inauguration live in Florence, Italy. All of the American students were filled with exuberance and excitement, but they weren't the only ones. The local Italians, as well as professors and administrators who had lived and worked in the country for some time, were also filled with a sense of pride and exhilaration. The example of American acceptance of an African-American president suggested to European citizens that their countries might be closer than they thought to a similar sort of open-mindedness and ability to proceed forward with change. A lot of people love Obama within the United States, but outside of this country, he's quite a celebrity too.

There's one faction, however, that still doesn't like the leadership of the United States. In September, an audio tape was released containing Osama Bin Laden's political commentary on Obama's status as president. Bin Laden re-emphasized the fact that American support for Israel is the primary "cause for disagreement" with the U.S. and part of what led to the September 11th attacks. I've read a number of far-fetched diatribes on Obama by far-right conservatives claiming he is a secret Muslim, and that his interests are equated with terrorists like Bin Laden. That's clearly not the case, and it seems there are some things that just don't change.

But in the past year, has the country become more optimistic? The economy is still doing extremely poorly and many Americans are out of work. Despite general enthusiasm for Obama, some have criticized him for not having actually done much since taking office, especially after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October. The reason cited for his reception of the prize was "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Disagreement over West Bank settlements has led some to condemn Obama's stance on Israel. While it's not a definitive solution, the important thing is that we're still talking. Perhaps not all that much has changed, but there's a still dialogue going on and international diplomacy, and more crucially, cooperation between peoples, is perceived as one of Obama's signature strengths. That yearning to establish lasting peace should allow for a positive outlook on the future, even if the present doesn't look as bright.

[Posted 11/16/09]