The 70th Session of the UN General Assembly took place in New York without the presence of President Jammeh. Gambian foreign policy has shifted from Taiwan and US Foreign policy towards Cuba has changed. It is a new world requiring a sophisticated foreign policy. Obama appears to be coping as manifested by the following excerpts:According to Obama, the world avoided “……… a third world war by forging alliances with old adversaries, by supporting the steady emergence of strong democracies accountable to their people instead of any foreign power and by building an international system that imposes a cost on those who choose conflict over cooperation, an order that recognizes the dignity and equal work of all people.”
Obama spoke on behalf of the poor by asserting that
“Global capital flows have powered growth and investment, but also increased risk of contagion, weakening the bargaining power of workers and accelerated inequality.”
He added “I believe that capitalism has been the greater creator of wealth and opportunity that the world has ever known. But from big cities to rural villages around the world, we also know that prosperity is still cruelly out of reach for too many.”
As His Holiness Pope Francis reminds us, we are stronger when we value the least among us and see them as equal in dignity to ourselves and our sons and our daughters. We can roll back preventable disease and end the scourge of HIV/AIDS. We can stamp out pandemics that recognise no borders. That work may not be on television right now, but as we demonstrated in reversing the spread of Ebola, it can save more lives than anything else we can do.”
He indicted the tyrants of the world as follows: “I believe in my core that repression cannot forge the social cohesion for nations to succeed. The history of the last two decades proves that in today’s world, dictatorships are unstable. The strong men of today become the spark of revolution tomorrow. You can jail your opponents but you can’t imprison ideas. You can try to control access to information but you cannot turn a lie into truth.”
He added: “The strength of nations depends on the success of their people, their knowledge, their innovation, their imagination, their creativity, their drive, their opportunity, and that in turn depends on individual rights and good governance, and personal security.
“History shows that regimes who fear their own people will eventually crumble. But strong institutions, built on the consent of the governed, endure long after anyone individual is gone. That is why our strongest leaders from George Washington to Nelson Mandela have elevated the importance of building strong, Democratic institutions over a thirst for perpetual power.
“Leaders who amend constitutions to stay in office only acknowledge that they have failed to build a successful country for their people because none of us last forever. It tells us that power is something they cling to for its own sake, rather than for the betterment of those they purport to serve.”
The lessons are now before the leaders of the world. Will they persist in perpetuating their presidencies for life or prepare for life after the presidency and allow democracy to thrive? History will be the judge.
