Iraq Press Roundup

Opinions vary on the impact of the U.S. presidential election and the victory of Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrat from Illinois. Many see the victory as a change in the ruling party in Washington, while others see the incoming president as an agent of world stability and revival.

The independent al-Sabbah al-Jadeed newspaper said Thursday that the Obama victory sent a political message to democratic and non-democratic countries alike.

Obama, the strategic agreement and the change in Iraq

The U.S. election caused a stir in national capitals around the world, pushing them to follow a governing system that meets the demands of the public, as was evident in the ability of Obama to speak the language of the people.

But the language used most by the president-elect was language advocating a change in U.S. domestic and foreign policy. The issue of Iraq, the newspaper said, remains at the top of the list of American foreign policies that need the most change. Still yet to be solved, in that regard, is the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement, which is still in negotiations due to proposed amendments from the Iraqi government.

The security pact would benefit both the Iraqi and American peoples, especially by alleviating the sectarian divisions and corruption haunting the government in Baghdad.

The policy of change as advocated by Obama is a motivating factor that encourages the liberal and democratic parties in Iraqi to play a key role in structuring the state to meet the demands of the people, the newspaper concluded.

Al-Basaer newspaper said Thursday the world has chosen to ignore the continuity of American policy established with its very first president and instead embrace a degree of optimism. It cautioned, however, that those who had tried to bring change to America might meet the same fate as former President John F. Kennedy, who was gunned down in November 1963.

Color of skin is the only difference between Obama and McCain

The headlines of every major newspaper dealt with the presidential contest between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. By hoping to end racial tensions in the United States, African-Americans supported Obama overwhelmingly, despite his tendency to follow in the footsteps of U.S. President George Bush in his staunch support for Israel.

Further complicating the next administration is the choice of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., as vice president. Biden had suggested dividing Iraq into three separate entities as a solution to national problems, signaling that President-elect Obama may care little about the interests of the Iraqi people.

Historically, any righteous deeds coming from the United States took place only with their interests in mind, leaving others near the bottom of the list of priorities. The Iraqi people believe Obama may ignore their situation when the next administration develops its foreign policy objectives, the newspaper said.

U.S. and Iraqi people should realize Obama is one of a long list of self-interested leaders. If Washington truly wanted to solve the issues of Iraqi Kurdistan, Iranian influence or any number of problems in Iraq, its leaders could do so if they looked beyond their own agendas.

This theory doesn't mean that the United States can perform miracles, but since this chaos was their invention, the solution is in their hands.

The independent Azzaman newspaper offered a positive assessment Thursday of the economic and foreign policies of the next U.S. administration under President-elect Barack Obama. It said the Republican Party in the United States would have lost the presidential contest regardless of its candidate.

Will Obama be given the keys to the White House on a plate of gold?

One of the greatest mistakes made by outgoing U.S. President George Bush was invading Iraq and destroying its infrastructure and political and economic systems. Washington claimed it was defending human rights and seeking to eliminate weapons of mass destruction; meanwhile, the countries in Africa suffer from poverty and human rights violations in Saudi Arabia run rampant.

Nevertheless, the billions of dollars the United States continues to spend in Iraq are causing an economic crisis at home for the American people. The rising level of unemployment and homelessness is one of the factors that brought victory for Obama, as the promise of change trumped any hope for the Republican Party. The Democrats, therefore, and not Obama, won the election because of the mistakes committed by the current Republican administration.

Iraqis will support whoever caters to their interests. Those who believe U.S. foreign policy will change with a new president, however, are wrong, because these are permanent polices established by both political parties in the United States.