Thursday 14 January 2010

ARE OBAMA’S ELOQUENT SPEECHES REMINISCENT OF NEWSPEAK?


As a dark skinned being from the forgotten corners of the world, I never thought the United States of America would ever elect a person of colour for President. Not in this generation, I thought. But when Barack Obama shrugged off Hilary Clinton and John McCain to make history, I kept vigil for that defining night. There was something about this Obama that separated him from any other presidential candidate in America. He was black, educated and promised to change the world through diplomatic means. Now a few months after the historic inauguration, I am wondering if those famous speeches were mere newspeak.


In Nineteen Eight Four, George Orwell described a superstate, Oceania, whose language of war invented lies that passed into history and became truth. The party slogan was; ‘who controls the past, controls the future and who controls the present controls the past.’

Barack Obama is the leader of a contemporary Oceania. For his speeches, Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize. Apparently for his extraordinary efforts to international diplomacy, his work on nuclear disarmament, climate change and of course changing American politics. I wonder who disarmed and what has changed in American politics?The nuclear disarmament and reduction of war heads is part of newspeak because,who will monitor this disarmament.Of course,the US,Russia and other European states might have signed the deals on paper but who will act as big brother to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons.And what will happen to those nations that defy the treaty?Essentially Oceania will constantly be at war with Eurasia and Eastasia.

Obama in his own words affirmed that, peace was no longer peace, but rather a permanent war that ‘extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan’ to ‘disorderly regions and failed states.’ He called this ‘global security’ and I believed him – and I suppose many people did. This is newspeak at its best. To the people of Afghanistan, which the US has invaded and occupied, he said, we have no interest in occupying your country.Therefore ,if the dismantling of terrorists takes another decade,is that not occupation?

In Oceania, truth and lies work in tandem. After 9/11 America were meant to hunt down Osama the fugitive in Afghanistan. But in 2003 found themselves focusing more on Saddam Hussein – apparently for weapons of mass destruction. What had happened to the search for the 9/11 kingpin? In the meantime Obama says Afghanistan is a ‘safe haven’ for al-Qaeda’s attacks on the west. In contrast, his own national security adviser, James Jones, said that there are fewer than 100 operatives in Afghanistan. So why would Obama sent 30 000 more troops to contain 100 operatives? Therefore there is no real change but only a change of tone. I remember Obama promising to close Guantanamo bay by January 2010 and now there are doubts over whether it will be closed at all. Was this another newspeak?The reasoning behind the delay apparently has to do with the recent insurgency activities in Yemen.

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