President Barack Obama�s 100 Days

The ‘First 100 Days’ seems to have become a ritual in American political life. This terminology was first used in 1933, the year Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President, a time when the US was very badly hit by economic depression. The people of America craved for someone to ameliorate their lot. President Roosevelt’s economic and administrative package, which later came to known as the ‘New Deal’, steered the United States through the Great Depression to becoming a political, economic and military superpower. These policies were kicked off during first 100days of the Roosevelt presidency and since then the performance of the ‘First 100 Days’ has become an important test-case for any American President.

If the ‘New Deal’ is the benchmark for any new US President in the modern era, Barack Obama appears poised to impose a more elevated standard, something akin to a ‘Better Deal’. In his intense first 100 days of administration, Obama has very successfully drafted the programmes and policies of his highly ambitious presidential tenure, which is all set to guide the Americans at home and abroad. Yet the challenges are not easy to fix and the first African American President’s ‘Better Deal’ is faced with problems emanating from economic crisis, the dwindling position of US allies in its ongoing military operations, its enemies and political opposition to many of his new policies at home.

Obama has taken steps to fix the economy at home. Within three weeks of his presidency, he unleashed a huge government intervention in the economy and got passed a $787 billion stimulus package into law, a mix of tax cut incentives and big spending programs aimed at re-awakening the US economy by injecting massive funds in education, public infrastructure and health care, among others. Adopting an experimental approach Obama rescued the shattered banks and frozen credit markets.

Realising that its not only fixing economy that is necessary but it also important to change Anti-Americanism perception which had engulfed the minds of the people, Obama took the measures and made gestures aimed at dealing with this concern. Just days after being sworn-in, Obama announced the planned closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. He defended this as essential to undo the criticism that US interrogators had engaged in torture and other unsavoury acts abroad, along with the need to restore the country’s credibility and moral authority in the eyes of the world, while it fights terrorism.

To mend the relationship with countries and win new friends, Obama drifting from his predecessor President George Bush’s policy, gave respect to Russia which it yearned for, reached out to Muslims and extended hands of friendship to Iran and Cuba and other Latin American countries. He has reviewed fundamental policy towards China, Mexico and Cuba, expressed regret to Europeans for past US “arrogance”, outlawed torture and ordered withdrawal from Iraq. In his first two foreign trips Obama was able to change the image of the United States around the world advancing his country’s national interest simultaneously. Obama in his first 100 days clearly depicted a superpower in humble mode. Obama doubled down in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ditched US denial on climate change and called for a world free of nuclear weapons. He has also maintained the cosy relationship with its friendly nations, NATO members and continued strategic partnership with India.

Obama's foreign policy demonstrates the massive self confidence he has in himself and in his administration. He seems to be dominating the political firmament and Obama’s work is getting endorsed by the American people. In a USA Today/Gallup poll 56 per cent among those polled believes he has done an excellent job. A Fox News poll gave Obama a job approval rating of 62 per cent, though like other surveys, there was a sharp difference between Democrats and Republicans.

Despite his excellent report card of 100 days, Obama has yet to face a full-scale foreign crisis, and there is mounting pressure to raise many families out of economic crisis at home. The domestic front is a tough task ahead for Obama. Here he will be dealing with the highly divisive and opinionated issues such as healthcare and climate change in the totally polarised domestic political environment. On the foreign policy front many initiatives, including engaging Iran, battling the global crisis and subduing North Korea, coming out with a coherent Af-Pak policy, tackling terrorism also depend on events and actors outside Obama's control. For instance, despite an exhilarated welcome, Obama failed to crown a Europe trip this month with guarantees of large numbers of new NATO troops for Afghanistan. 

At the moment President Obama’s public relations-like move on the foreign policy front may look perfect as his government considers they need to calm those anti-American sentiments who perceive that in its war on terrorism, the United States has committed genocide. But they also indicate inexperience, a subtle lack of understanding of the clear and present dangers from stateless actors and rogue states waiting to strike final blow on America. This can’t be ruled out. Also its known that the genesis of present financial crisis being faced by the US also adds to the disarray created by the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, followed by spending of billions of dollar in its war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact Obama needs to tread carefully and not allow himself to be carried away by his success, support and admiration and shut his eyes on the fact that there are dangers out there in the world that just won’t go away because the President of the United States has preferred to, or has been forced, to play good.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).