As an Indian observing America, which is due to elect its new President in November this year, it would appear counter-intuitive of me to exercise my non-existent franchise in favour of Mitt Romney instead of a second term for Barack Obama. This is not because Romney is a Republican, as George Bush was, and is likely to be as warm and friendly to India. During the tenure of Bush, there was no such term as ‘Bangalored’ in the lexicon.

Last time around , being instinctively left-of-centre with a fond hope that the bully tactics of the Bush era in world affairs would end, I was for Obama. Obama becoming President appeared to represent a tectonic shift in world politics.

Till then, it seemed almost impossible for anyone except an American white to occupy the White House. Now, however, my gripe, is not that there is reduced warmth in relation between India and the US but a gnawing feeling that Obama has belied the Hopes of Audacity.

Minimal achievement

If a broad view of world affairs is taken in the last four years of Obama and his team, then there is minimal achievement in foreign policy except getting rid of Osama Bin Laden. When Obama came to power, we felt that a statesman who disliked wars and killing of civilians would bring much needed peace around the world.

Being born to parents who belonged to different continents, he raised raised hopes that he would be naturally inclined to be more even-handed in dealing with the Muslim world.

Perhaps, he promised too much. Obama’s written order to close down the Bush era Guantanomo prison and CIA-run “black site prisons” in Afghanistan still remains on paper only. According to a study by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, over 500 people died in one attack in North Waziristan in 2009.

If it was happening during Bush’s regime, there would have been worldwide breast beating. The US operations in the pretext of going after this group or the other have killed more civilians in the region than any war between two opposing militaries in the recent past.

Muslim world

Obama comes out as insensitive and heartless when I read reports that Obama joked by threatening Jonas brothers — a music band — with a Predator drone strike if they came near his daughters.

Obama’s performance in respect of the Muslim world is disappointing, too. Today, Israel looks far closer to the US than during the Bush era.

In 2010, the US signed the largest deal in its history worth $60 billion to arm Saudi Arabia. It resumed arms ales to Bahrain’s dictatorship. For months when Egypt was protesting against Hosni Mubarak, Obama’s US was pretending that all was well with the regime.

Everyone knows that there is nothing much to write positively about the US economy either since Obama came to power. It is reported that legislative productivity also has been low during his period.

His healthcare Bill bringing relief to millions of uninsured remains controversial and is being challenged in courts.

As against this, Romney will bring, if nothing else, fresh air. Since he is not a foreign-policy wonk, he can take a fresh look unencumbered by any past stand on issues.

As for the economy, in view of the prolonged downturn and threats from an ascendant China, new and bold prescriptions may be overdue. All in all, it appears worth changing the physician.

(The author is former Member, Ordnance Factories.)

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