Why is Obama Special?

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Why is Obama Special?
As Barack Obama accepted Democratic Presidential nomination last week and launched a scathing criticism of President George Bush for his failed policies, the world watched an incredible political show happen in the most powerful democracy. Obama’s is a venture so unique that it effects a radical shift in the manner in which Americans would assess themselves despite their exceptionalism, in which they would rediscover themselves in the times to come. As a commentator in The Washington Post said, Obama is special because he ‘‘has taken great pains to reassure voters that as President he would act without racial animus or resentment — that he bears no grudges and intends to settle scores. His success to date has depended largely on his ability to be seen as a candidate who happens to be black rather than as a black candidate.’’ The difference between Obama being a Presidential candidate ‘‘who happens to be black’’ and his being interpreted as a ‘‘black candidate’’ is what makes the Obama moment so very extraordinary. True, his phenomenal rise to political stardom has much to do with the American racial subconscious, but even here what has differentiated Obama is his ability to stand out despite that subconscious, thanks to his vision for America — and in this there is recognition of talent.Obama has pledged ‘‘to end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan’’, wean the US from Middle Eastern oil within a decade, cut taxes ‘‘for 95 per cent of all working families’’, and deliver ‘‘affordable, accessible health care for every single American’’. Referring to the Republican policy, he says it is all about ‘‘giving more and more to those who have the most and hoping that prosperity will trickle down to everyone else’’. Obama explains: ‘‘In Washington, they call this the ‘ownership society’, but what it really means is ‘you are on your own’.’’ He has asked the Republicans to ‘‘own their failures’’ — because ‘‘it’s time to change America’’. It is clear that Obama has a clear agenda for his country and wants to give it a dignified place on earth; he is aware of the disrepute President Bush’s policies have brought to his country, as well as of Bush’s obstinacy in foreign policy-making despite the inherent faultlines so very visible. Therefore, as you add the racial quotient to Obama’s triumphant policy march — as all will tend to — you will discover a wonderful American narrative that seems to be redefining public discourse in that country, making Obama a far better and smarter Presidential hopeful. The Los Angeles Times has beautifully summed up that narrative: ‘‘Whatever happens in November, Thursday night’s (when Obama accepted the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party) unprecedented scene was a testament to racial progress in America, a nation founded by slave owners and cleaved by civil war followed by a century of acrimony. Less than 50 years ago, people with Obama’s complexion were forbidden from voting in some States.’’ And today, Obama, despite his complexion, is considered the world over a fittest American to adorn the White House and change the way people think of America and Americans. Will it happen? That will change so many things. source: sentinel assam editorial 02.09.08
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The Paswan Poison
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan is so desperate about winning the support of ‘minorities’ that he wants the Government of India to embrace all Bangladeshis living illegally in different parts of the country as Indian citizens and then to check further infiltration! On Sunday, he said: ‘‘Those Bangladeshis who are already staying in India should be provided citizenship. Further infiltration should be checked. There should be strict vigil on the border.’’ What is clear is why the irresponsible Paswan should be talking of checking further infiltration from Bangladesh after making his case for the Bangladeshis living illegally in India till date. It will seem to make Paswan free from the charge of treason — after all, he is not advocating further infiltration, he is only trying to ‘solve the problem’ from a ‘humanitarian’ angle. However, Paswan is not free from treason charge — he has sought to legitimize the illegality of Bangladeshis in India, who are a great threat to national security and the very existence of people in States like Asom where they have outnumbered the indigenous populace in eight districts. So what will Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh do now — retain Paswan in the cabinet or show him the door and have proceedings initiated against him for his anti-national thesis? It is the test of all times for the Prime Minister to prove that he has the interest of Indians in his mind, not of Bangladeshi vote banks. And should not Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi be in the forefront demanding punishment for the perverse Paswan? Or is Mr Gogoi too thinking of a formula as Paswan’s.

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ECONOMIC OBSERVER
Towards Quality Banking
Dr BK Mukhopadhyay
Today’s business practices encompass a customer-centric approach and at the same time a risk-centric approach. This entails learning from the past experience as well. We normally concentrate on the risk of defaulting — credit risk — attaching least importance to the market musings. This should not happen. There is no short cut to boost business. A consistent and persistent effort is needed to meet the target — but, remember, if and only if the problems are diagnosed properly and the plan does not suffer from unrealistic goal settings. Proper identification and implementation of effective business building strategies and techniques call for systematic efforts that could lead to analysing the existing business dimensions and gaps; building credibility; ensuring a better understanding of the customers’ needs and preferences in the context of changing environment; improving prospective skills; and devising ways for customer retention and more business from the existing customers.Today’s customers are more demanding even when compared with those a decade back, while the competitors are all the time ready with their range of products and market-friendly approach. By now, all over the world, business has accepted ‘‘process management’’ as a way of life. The process has in its fold the entire business spectrum — running from end to end across institutions.Financial expectations can be daunting. There has been an attempt for banks to give an experience to their customers that will have a personal touch on all value-added services: free ATM-cum-Debit Card with access to other banks’ ATMs; internet and mobile banking; electronic fund transfer; insurance at a low premium; anywhere banking; electronic clearing service facilities, and so on and so forth. At the same time, schemes existing today may not be liked by the next generation, and thus a quick adaptability system needs to remain inbuilt. Intimate knowledge of the terrain makes all the difference. We have to see the banking of the future: an environment sans barrier, where technology makes money accessible 24x7. The call is there to work for creating a vibrant work system where tickets are booked online, stock exchanges are watched over the internet, and also drafts are ordered over mobile phones. The ultimate thing is survival, and that is not possible without a large family of stakeholders in the fold. The question naturally comes up: What should our players do to ensure that they retain wealthier accounts at a time when Deutsche Bank, ABN Amro, Citigroup, UBS, Societe Generale, Merrill Lynch etc are fiercely competing in the Indian market? Though competition is going to be more intense, the home-grown banks do possess a crucial advantage over foreign entrants. The branch network’s familiarity with the region/service area, customers’ nature of demand, and preferences count upon.Our banks would do well to concentrate on the mass affluent sector. The ultra-rich will definitely gravitate towards the bigs, which have the sophisticated armoury. But the nearly rich could be offered a range of basics by the local players. The latter would retain their loyalty if the human pull factor remains strong enough. Quality backed by human approach leads to greater performance. Quality is time plus cost. Changing any one of these variables would lead to change in the outcome. Say, if the amount of time is shortened to complete an assignment, either the cost is to be increased or the quality lowered.What is encouraging is that doorstep banking is gaining ground — picking up and delivery of cash at the premises of the customer. It is beneficial from the point of view of the banks and also of the customers. In that scheme, extension of doorstep banking to neglected segments is more a need than a convenience. In such affairs, obviously credit plays the major role in the form of personal or business loans, overdrafts, mortgages etc, which can figure prominently in a local bank’s package of service to their clients. It has been rightly observed that the local bank network is going to be a ‘‘killing ground’’ determining the success — or otherwise — of the domestic private banking business in India.T he future belongs to those who are prudent risk managers. Locating the risk does not serve any purpose if the same is not measured and controlled thereafter. With volatile markets and high employee turnover, it has become increasingly difficult, especially for the weaker banks, to contain effectively credit risk, market risk and operational risk. Consolidation would continue to be the key factor. Tying up/amalgamation/merger with the stronger is definitely one of the ways out. But why not to try with joint endeavours in a more pronounced way — maybe with sectors like telecommunication, insurance, non-conventional energy agencies, post offices having a reach deep and wide, and also in a private-public-partnership mode?A warning too: in today’s world, too much of rigidity— outright controlling tendency — simply invites more bureaucracy into the system, further endangering the financial health of an institution, playing havoc with the market-exploration drive. No less important is the task of recovering the dues from accounts which have turned into non-performing assets (NPAs). Being an occupational disease, NPAs cannot be totally eliminated from the banking business, but its incidence can be minimized. Well, a pragmatic recovery strategy could not only help the lender to protect the fund deployed, but also enable him to face competition through confidence building among the customers.(The writer is a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Bank Management, Guwahati)
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India-US Nuclear Deal:
Time for a PauseRajiv SikriThe India-US nuclear deal is in trouble — serious trouble. Contrary to Indian expectations, the NSG did not give it clearance at its meeting in Vienna. A large number of NSG members, many of them close allies of the United States, tabled amendments that would have the effect of bringing India into the NPT and the CTBT regimes through the back door.The US is reworking the draft in preparation for another meeting of the NSG , but the draft has not yet been shared with India. Instead of personally reporting back to the political leadership, the Foreign Secretary was rushed to Washington after the NSG fiasco. He was camping in Washington for a week, while Richard Boucher tried to soothe ruffled feathers in India.Why did this happen? Even the most ardent drumbeaters of the government have been forced to admit that the US has not kept its end of the July 18, 2005 bargain. India is seen as having been led down the garden path or as having been double-crossed. So what is new? This happens all the time in relations between states.Why blame the US if you are naïve enough to swallow US administration statements made to you in private while ignoring what they say to their own Congress and public? The Prime Minister has indeed been led up the garden path, not just by the Americans but also by his own coterie of advisers who have been putting a gloss on all the systematic deviations by the American side from the fine balance of the July 18, 2005 understanding. Even as the Americans shifted the goalposts, we pretended that in fact they had not — be it the Hyde Act, the 123 Agreement or the IAEA Safeguards Agreement.Why did not the US exert sufficient effort to get the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) members on board? Was the US taken by surprise at the NSG meeting? Or was this an act of deliberate sabotage by the US that put up smaller NSG members to do its dirty work? What was the US hoping to achieve? One possibility is that the US thought that it could achieve its optimal non-proliferation agenda through the NSG since it had to compromise on some aspects in the 123 Agreement. In this way, the 123 Agreement stood a better chance of being passed by the US Congress.Another possibility is that the Bush administration realizes that it cannot get the 123 Agreement through the US Congress. Gary Ackerman has said that there is not enough time. If the US Congress is to waive the mandatory 30-day period for which the bill has to lie in Congress before it is taken up for consideration, then it is no longer going to be an up-or-down vote. In such a situation it will be open to the US Congress to introduce amendments. That would effectively kill the 123 Agreement. The United States would also be concerned that an NSG exemption for India without a 123 Agreement cleared by the US Congress would leave the field free for other nuclear suppliers, notably the French and the Russians, to snap up contracts while the US makes up its mind.This is a case of brinksmanship by the US administration, which seems to have concluded that, having gone out on a limb on the India-US nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cannot now step back and will have no option but to swallow all the new conditions being added on to the NSG exemption. Alternatively, the US administration is convinced that it just cannot get the deal through the present US Congress and therefore it is best to break it at the NSG stage, where the opprobrium would be borne by India, rather than in the US Congress, which would put the Bush administration in an embarrassing position.It is a bit like the WTO talks collapsing on the relatively minor issue of the Special Safeguards Mechanism (SSM), where the spin given out is that India was the deal-breaker. The truth in this case is that had there been agreement on the SSM, the US would have had to tackle the more difficult issue, from its point of view, of cotton subsidies.It is time that the Prime Minister reflected over the present situation from a political perspective, forgetting for a moment about his ego and the legacy he will leave behind as Prime Minister. It is clear that he will not be able to present this deal as a personal triumph. On the contrary, he could end up being regarded as the Prime Minister who sold the country’s interests. Now is not the time for bravado.It is time to eat humble pie. Perhaps then he and the government can salvage some of their tattered self-respect. Otherwise, a flawed deal will only generate feelings of betrayal and mistrust that will undo all the good work done in the last few years to bring India and the US closer.It is time we told the Americans that we are not ready to sign the deal at this time. There is no need for the second NSG meeting next week. The country needs to reflect over and digest what is being offered. Let there not be a repeat of July 18, 2005 when the scientists were hustled into agreeing to something they had not fully considered. Let us wait for new governments in both the US and India. Let us press the pause button.(The writer is a former diplomat)

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A Faster, Higher, Stronger Fix
Chitra Padmanabhan
On August 24, after the stupefying finale of the Beijing Olympics, it was time to whip out the little black book. The Games were over and the familiar withdrawal symptoms were raising their ugly head. How fast the two Olympic weeks had flown by, despite the wonderfully botched coverage by Doordarshan. Now where could one get one’s next high, next fix? Cricket in Sri Lanka? Tennis at the US Open? When is the Twenty20, dash it?The craving for sensory stimulation is unbearable. For, the power of live coverage to lull us into thinking we are part of a larger collective ‘reality’, a decisive moment, is immense. Even though we may be watching alone in the privacy of our homes, potatoes incarnate. But look at the way the event is magnified several times over through every media at hand and, finally, by word of mouth, in homes, offices, schools, pubs, everywhere. To be out of it is to be cast out of Eden and be without a sensational experience.It helps immensely when this universe comes packaged as entertainment, bringing in elements other than sport. It becomes much easier for anyone to become a sports lover. In fact it becomes easier by the day, as egged by business logic, sport itself endeavours to attain a dramatic edge and glamour that is strictly reserved for tinsel town and big bucks. Trivia serving sport as trivia has been a sure-fire hit in getting audiences on board.Remember Mandira Bedi? The actor and TV anchor of the off-shoulder fame who introduced an entirely new dulcet note to the existing babble which goes by the name of cricket match curtain-raisers, lunch and tea deliberations and post-mortems? If she can talk cricket, why not my domestic help Sulochana?Last week I almost fell off my chair when Sulochana asked me if ‘‘that tall guy’’ had won the fight. She was referring to Indian middleweight boxer Vijender Singh’s semi-final bout. Then she asked me about actor Bipasha Basu’s relationship with him. It turned out that a young sports enthusiast had told Sulochana that Vijender wanted to go on a date with Bipasha if he struck gold and she, being a patriotic sort, had said yes.A life without adrenalin is still life, and not worth talking about. Itcertainly has nothing to do with sport. And yet, it was in a picture of stillness that veteran sports journalist TR Ramakrishnan, reporting for China Daily, perceptively discovered the ‘definitive moment’ of the Beijing Games. It was a photograph of the charismatic Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. The photo showed her taking a cat nap in the gargantuan Bird’s Nest stadium — face covered, in the midst of her pole vault final, ‘‘seemingly switched off from the rest of the world’’, moments before her golden vault.Ramakrishnan wrote that the image radiated a calmness which, for him, was the moment of the Games — not Michael Phelps’ or Usain Bolt’s achievements in ‘‘stretching the limits of what the human body can achieve’’. Ramakrishnan’s luminous observation would have been missed by almost every avid sports lover hooked to the potent combination of pace and power that seems to dominate present-day definitions of sport, life and live coverage. (IANS)

source: sentinel assam editorial 02.09.08