We are a few days away from the end of the Presidency of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. In his eight years in the job, President Obama softened the image of America overseas and elevated the Office of President of the United States with his brand of statesmanship. He brought to the Oval Office a level of integrity and decency that should be a new benchmark for politicians. Indeed, his is the only Presidency in the modern era that was without scandal. Those in politics or those aspiring to be in politics should take a page out of the Obama book.
I met President Obama briefly in April 2015 when he visited Jamaica to attend the United States�Caricom summit. On that occasion, he addressed UWI students in Jamaica putting on his best Jamaican accent. He also visited Trinidad in 2009 for the Summit of the Americas where he met the late Hugo Chavez who presented him with the book, Open the veins of Latin America. The book is a sort of Latin American leftist bible (the author has since disavowed its thesis).
My other Obama moment came in 2012 in Cartagena, Colombia at the Summit of the Americas. At that meeting, Caricom leaders engaged an attentive President Obama in a discussion on the drug trade and the impact it was having on the Caribbean.
Barack Obama is a man of destiny and history. He inherited a US economy that was reeling from the subprime crisis of 2007/2008 as well as two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan). To his credit, he turned around the US economy. In his years as President he also railed against gun violence and passed the most far reaching health care reform (aptly named Obamacare). This will be repealed by the incoming Republican administration.
During his Presidency, we will remember Air Force One flying into places like Havana, Cuba, Port-of-Spain and into New Delhi. The sight of an American President in Havana sampling cigars will forever be etched in my memory. His relationship with India has been strategic. His first State dinner was in honour of former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. He also developed a great friendship with Singh's successor Narrendra Modi.
With Myanmar (Burma) he used diplomatic pressure to persuade the military junta to free Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and hold free and fair elections. He struck a deal that saw Iran curtail its nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions being lifted. He stuck to his promise to withdraw US troops from Iraq and greatly reduced the US military presence in Afghanistan.
His withdrawal of US troops from Iraq has, however, been blamed for the emergence of ISIS which filled the void left by the American withdrawal. He has also been criticised for his handling of Libya. America's recent abstention from a UN vote that was critical of Israeli settlements in the West Bank have also caused questions to be raised about his support for Israel.
Foreign policy dynamics aside, Barack Obama is a global statesman and a force for tolerance and understanding. He is the most gifted orator of the 21st century. He walks off the world stage at a time when the world needs his personality the most. The new world order sees the Potsdam alliance (America, Britain and Russia) moving against globalisation. There is a backlash in the West against globalisation and unfettered immigration. The concept of supra-nationalism is under threat from nationalist sentiments.
Obama stood for globalisation and free trade. He knew its power to bring people together, to reduce poverty and minimise conflict. He understood the contribution that immigrants have made to America. In furtherance of free trade, he pushed for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Mr Trump has already signalled that America will not be part of that.
On the issue of climate change, he led from the front. The USA under Obama was a major part of getting the Paris COP 21 agreement signed and ratified. That agreement binds its signatories to pre-determined targets aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions to keep climate change in check. The incoming Trump administration seems set to reverse all that.
Obama leaves office with a high approval rating in the mid 50s. He will be remembered as one of the most likable presidents in history. He came into the presidency when he was 47 years old. His age allowed him to connect with younger Americans. He used social media to get elected in 2008 and 2012 and as President was a regular on late night comedy shows. His self-deprecating sense of humour is a hallmark of his emotional intelligence which is a mark of a good leader.
I have a suspicion that we have not seen the last of Barack Obama on the world stage. The world and the world's media will not allow the Obama's to slip into domestic oblivion. At 55 President Obama is still a young man with a lot to offer. His counsel and endorsement will be sought by many for the rest of his life. History will be kind to Barack Obama.
Kevin Ramnarine is a former Minister of Energy of Trinidad and Tobago