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Thursday, November 27, 2008 12:00 AM

I'm grateful for Barack Obama

My sappy Thanksgiving post got more serious as I watched the Mumbai tragedy unfold.

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  • Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:42 PM

    dust1969

    Obama's campaign rheteric was highly focussed on Pakistan.

    Okay, a bit of background:

    India and Pakistan have been sort of hostile since the two states seperated, with several wars between the two. It is what sparked the nuclear arms race between them - and one of the reasons the rest of the world was kind of worried about it.

    One of the issues with Iran's nuclear arms race is that the rest of the world doesn't want to face the same issue with Iran and Israel as it already faces with Pakistan and India.

    Now, the hostilities have a religious dimension, Pakistan is a Islamic country and India is Hindu, which means that these attacks may well have an impact on relations between the two countries, which essentially still don't like each other and still have nukes.

    A war with Pakistan may well have been what the Deccan Mujahideen was aiming for, because once this shock has worn off, well you remember how America reacted to 9/11.

    Bush is a diplomatic disaster area, Obama has the gift of the gab. Not only that, but Obama's attention was already on Pakistan back when the elections started, and thus he should hopefully be familiar with the issues affecting at least half of the problem.

    Obama may still fail to deal with the issue effectively, we don't know how well he will do because he is not in power yet, but the hope with Obama was that he would be able to use finesse to achieve goals rather than force, and thus hopefully be able to tackle problems like this more effectively than McCain could.

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