BY HASAN CEMAL
MILLIYET- As I wrote this, voting was still underway in the US. But all the signs pointed to Democrat Barack Hussein Obama being elected the US ' first African-American president. If something unexpected happens and McCain is elected, I would be very disappointed, as this would be an unreasonable choice by the American people. Such surprises are sometimes seen, but not this time, I don't think. So the excitement of revolutionary change has reached the US.
Obama's historic march to the White House with his call to change Washington is about to conclude. It was indeed historic, and why not? A black man is being elected president of a country which suffered the horrors of slavery, fought a civil war over it, and witnessed the tragedy of racism and racial discrimination for decades, and where non-whites or non-Anglo-Saxon people can be treated as second class. This is a revolution in itself. Obama's election as the first African-American president is an exciting event which could trigger cultural changes not only in the US, but also across the world, and could help dispel prejudices about skin color. It's very exciting.
So how did Obama made such a great breakthrough? Because he represented the new at a critical time, gave hope for change, captured the young people, and inspired confidence as a leader. Obviously the Bush administration has devastated the Republicans politically. The reasons for this aren't complicated. The Bush era provoked injustice and inequality in the US for eight years and caused ordinary Americans to lose confidence due to the war in Iraq and its methods of fighting terrorism. The recent economic crisis made this bad situation only worse. The American people made their choice by rejecting:
(1) The Republicans' market radicalism
(2) The war in Iraq, and
(3) The Bush administration methods of fighting terrorism
In short, the American people's reaction and disappointment over eight years of Bush created the craving for change, propelled Obama onto a great wave of political power, and led to his march to the White House. A similar wave in 1976 led to the election of President Jimmy Carter, another Democrat. The trauma caused by the US defeat in Vietnam and the crisis over Nixon's Watergate scandal led to the Republicans' defeat at the ballot box. Now it's Obama's turn!
Will Obama make history? This question concerns not just Americans, but the entire world. That's why we've been following the US presidential elections as if they were a global referendum. We hope Obama will make history at the White House and won't disappoint those who are clamoring for change. We also hope that he will end the Bush administration's high-handed arrogance, and will stress diplomacy and dialogue over war and conflict, and start appointing people who will make the US and the world a more livable place in cooperation and solidarity with its friends and allies. I'd like to be hopeful about a better future with Obama's presidency.