Post-Poll Picture

It is becoming obvious that democratic candidate Barack Obama, as the US presidential election winds up, is preparing to move into the White House. All major polls place him comfortably ahead of Republican rival John McCain in terms of the number of electoral college votes each man is likely to collect. The indirect system of presidential election has each of the 50 US states and the federal district of Washington voting for an electoral college, which, formally speaking, will cast its vote for the president on December 15. The result of course will be obvious well before this, with each elector casting all the votes allocated to his state. This means the candidate who wins the most electoral college votes will occupy the White House. Two hundred and seventy votes, one more than half the 538 members of the college, are needed to win an election.

As Obama prepares to take on the task of leading the world's most powerful nation, he has been speaking out on his plans for the future. As much as the economically troubled domestic front, the focus has been on foreign policy and the battle against terror, with Pakistan figuring prominently in this. In two interviews to major news networks, Obama has mentioned his desire to help Pakistan and India sort out the delicate issue of Kashmir, so that their ties can improve. He has held that this lessening in tensions between the two South Asian neighbours is an essential pre-requisite to a situation in which Pakistan is able to more fully turn its efforts and energies to fighting militancy, which Obama points out is today the main threat to its security.
This is an analysis that makes good sense. There are many in Pakistan who believe that warm Indo-Pak ties are crucial to regional stability. It is also a fact that the 'hawks' entrenched in our establishment and elsewhere have backed militant efforts by 'jihadi' forces as a means to keep up the pressure on India viz-a-viz Kashmir. This support has sometimes led to confusion over the definition of militants, contributed to the ambiguity in policy towards them and served as the means to justify our huge military spending. A better relationship with India could as such help unravel this web, which prevents progress in many areas of national life. It also seems apparent a solution to Kashmir is possible only with US backing. We have in recent days heard arguments calling for a 'US-dictated' settlement with New Delhi to be opposed. But if Washington's interests in this case coincide with ours, there can surely be no harm in accepting this assistance. The problem in past decades has been the willingness of Pakistan's leaders to follow a US-dictated line even when this went against our own interests and as such damaged the country.

Obama has not repeated his threat of attacks on Pakistan. But he has spoken of targeting Osama bin Laden, and taking him 'dead or alive'. The bullish element in the Obama mix as such stays intact, but given that he has also mentioned closing down the notorious Guantanamo Bay jail, his policies may well offer more that is good than bad. The shutting down, forever, of that prison that has come to symbolize the injustice and brutality that has been so awful a feature of the 'war on terror' would mark a true break with the past. Combined with other policies, it may also help somewhat improve US standing in the eyes of the international community. This clearly is a goal Obama seems eager to work towards. Perhaps the attacks, on the basis of race and religion he has personally been subjected to throughout an abrasive election campaign, during which insinuations and accusations regarding his alleged link to Islam and to terrorists have repeatedly surfaced, will have sensitized him to the sentiments of Muslims who have frequently been made victims of similar bias.

It seems clear that Barack Obama and his aides have quite carefully thought out foreign policy issues. This is more than can be said for McCain and his side-kick, Sarah Palin, whose lack of acumen and lack of good sense has dismayed many voters. For these reasons alone, an Obama-led White House would for many be welcome news. The final verdict on this will of course be known by tomorrow, as all eyes around the globe turn to the US and its voters.