When America sneezes!

The American media this week was filled with news about the continuing economic woes in that country. The collapse of Lehman brothers and the sale of Merrill Lynch were two of the big items reflecting the uncertainties in the American economy. I was struck by a comment made by Presidential candidate Barrack Obama, “Let’s be clear. What we’ve seen in the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict of an economic philosophy that has completely failed.”{{more}} Maybe exaggerated to make a point but as often happens we have persons like McCain disciples of deregulation, calling at these times for more regulation. Didn’t they say that there was an invisible hand directing affairs? What an invisible hand! The government’s intervention into the financial markets represents the largest bail out in the history of the United States of America. All of this is playing into the American presidential campaign with hundreds of jobs being lost. I always felt that in any American presidential race the major influence was the economy. Based on the state of things John McCain should have no chance. This is going to tell us something about America? Is race still such a compelling factor that voters are going to overlook the state of the economy as they make their choices?

This is a strange election year, when anyone who is unfamiliar with American politics could easily conclude that McCain is an opposition candidate, that is, not of the same party as the sitting president. He speaks as though he is on the outside and not one who has more often than not voted with and supported the policies of the incumbent. He admits to the American people who claim to be concerned about the economy that this is one of his weak points. In fact, at a time when the collapse of Lehman brothers and other news about the unemployment situation were demonstrating the weakness in the American economy, he calmly informs the American people that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. When confronted with that apparent contradiction because of the evidence confronting the American people, he then attempts to lie his way out, giving his own unique interpretation of what is meant by the fundamentals of the economy. Then he pulls this lady Sarah Palin out of thin air, a lady whose strong point on foreign policy appears to be based on the proximity of Alaska to Russia. If by some ill luck the Republicans through McCain are able to reclaim the Presidency, our dear friend Sarah will be a heart beat away from the presidency. Whooh! Only in America can this happen!

Well, I have been carried away because I simply wanted to make the point about the impact on us of what happens in America. As the saying goes, when America sneezes we catch a cold, but America is doing more than sneezing. There is no doubt that people from the Caribbean living there are trapped in the economic mess, with many out of employment and others suffering from the crisis in the housing market. This could, of course, affect the lines we see lengthening at Moneygram and Western Union at the end of every month.

Relations with Iran

This brings me to another point. The media have carried stories during the week about the concerns of an American diplomat about this country’s establishment of ties with Iran. Of course, this country doesn’t have to ask the US with whom it should establish diplomatic relations. This is an independent country of near 29 years standing. Independence really meant our ability to make such decisions and decide with whom we want to relate. But that is only one side of the coin. We have to be fully conscious about the context within which we conduct our foreign affairs, knowing that when we play with the puppies we get bitten by the fleas. What carries us to Iran? What do we hope to gain? Is it all part of building a coalition of those willing to finance the construction of the airport? Obviously we build relationships based on what we consider to be in our best interest but we also have to balance this with the interests of others with whom we relate.. It is clear that there is a kind of cold war between the United States of America and Iran, much of it having to do undoubtedly with the stupidity of George Bush. But who says this world was fair? The playing field is not level. Is what is good for the goose really good for the gander? There are certain realities that have to be taken into account when we attempt to construct our foreign policy. I am not sure how many Vincentians are living in the United States. The number is undoubtedly large and we depend on remittances coming from that country. Our people regularly attempt to get visas to visit the US or to go there to live, perhaps meeting family members. This is an important reality and has to form part of the equation. So there has got to be a delicate balancing act. A lot of other things would fall into the equation. It is said that when the elephants fight the grass gets trampled, but at the same time when the elephants make love the grass also gets trampled. So we have to be governed by the realities that surround us. If we want to be a member of the big boys club, then we have to be able to abide by the consequences of membership. We are an independent country. There is no doubt about that, but then beggars very often cannot be choosers. Really, we can do anything we want once we are prepared to abide by the consequences.

The hurricane season

The hurricane season this year started with a bang. Fortunately for us, the hurricanes either started further north or very far, east, taking their northward/ north westward movement before reaching us. One has to be sympathetic with the people of Haiti, Cuba, the Turks and Caicos Islands and to a lesser extent Jamaica who have felt the effects of the storms, some countries being hit by more than one storm. Cuba is estimating the cost of damage at over US$ 5 billion, while in Haiti they have to cater to the needs of over 800,000 Haitians. This is an annual rite we go through, waiting, watching and hoping. The annual hurricane season shows up the vulnerability of our economies and our so-called development, a development which is subjected to these storms and which could destroy in a matter of hours all our country was trying to build. It is still early in the season and we cannot help but be gripped by fear when we see and hear what is happening even in the United States of America. That country is in a position always to have a ready response, since there are large areas of the country that will never be subjected to hurricanes, and of course it has the resources. But even there we see the time lags in response and long lines waiting for gasoline or for ice. In our small countries the entire country will be subjected to the ravages of the storm and we will have to wait on assistance from outside. We are really so vulnerable to so many things, natural and man made, that one wonders what some of our leaders are really feeling when they think they are in charge and have things under their control. That is why we should be working and supporting each other and not operating as though we are little tin gods.

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian.