To the cry of “yes we can” America’s brand has been revived.
From a country lately perceived as a bully, we now have a nation advancing hope, freedom, opportunity and equality. The latter is the America that I know, I have met and the one I always truely believed represents the country.
George Bush is a President of his time. Attacked by unimaginable acts of terrorism he struck out, like anyone wounded would. Unfortunately in doing so, he isolated America from the UN, much of Europe, Asia and the thoughts of the people of the world. He did send a clear message – do not attack – but in doing so developed policies that went against the freedom and hope that America stands for.
We now see a return of the America we know and respect. In Barak Obama we see the vision and charisma that embodies the country, the people and the values of the US.
The world has changed, not just with the credit crisis but from September 11, 2001. The safety and peace many believed would continue unabated; and the financial security many have relied on; are now stripped away.
In response we can either isolate ourselves, put up fences and arm ourselves in defence. Or engage with others and resolves our differences, understanding our different cultures and points of view and embracing and learning from the differences.
America was always about living with and embracing the differences so that everyone had opportunity and everyone got a chance to succeed. If you didn’t believe that before, you have to believe that now.
Let’s hope the world responds in kind. It’s not just America that needed to change, we all do. We are all guilty of partisanship through what has bee a polarising decade. We need to put away our own perceptions and respond to this hope in kind. We all have a new leader of the free world with an agenda that we can all embrace.
Congratulations America, you have made the decision we all hoped for. Its now our turn to help you deliver these goals of hope, equality, freedom and opportunity in our own countries.
