In world politics today there is one man who is causing more excitement than any other. That man is Barack Obama, potentially the next president of the USA and if he does win, the first black man to hold the post. I felt given his current status a few comments on him are needed. However if he and Cameron should win their respective elections, what things will they agree on and will their relationship be good for the world?
Firstly both men are committed to tackling climate change. Obama is even going as far as to commit the USA to a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050.
Then there are the two major conflicts in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. Here there is a slight conflict. Obama will commit the USA to a troop withdrawal from Iraq whilst Cameron has pledged to stay the course. However I believe this is only a slight problem. Should Obama win the election, he will be in office at least a year before Cameron should get into office, so if US troops leave it will be up to Brown to withdraw UK troops which I think he would in those circumstances. Personally I agree with Obama's viewpoint of withdrawing from Iraq and putting more emphasis on Afghanistan. Iraq is slowly but surely dealing with its own issues and UK troops should be ready to leave in around 18-24 months time.
The real issue that concerns me however is the world economy. Obama has hinted at greater protectionist policies for the US economy. Bad news in these worsening economic times. On the day that the Doha World Trade talks collapsed meaning an extra $100 billion will not be added to world output this is totally the wrong policy. If the West is to overcome these tough economic times globalisation holds the key. It is well known that freer trade and economic growth go hand in hand, therefore ducking behind the parapet of protectionism is not the answer. The Conservatives believe in the free market and therefore supported reducing trade barriers at the Doha talks. By increasing protectionism Obama would deny the American economy further opportunities to grow and condemn millions of the worlds poorest people to remain in absolute poverty.
So overall although Barack Obama is an admirable man, we Conservatives should avoid being swept up too much by Obamania and think clearly before agreeing too much with his policies, especially when it comes to the world economy.
Feel free to leave comments.
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