Will Obama Preside Over Sunset?

Bikash Choudhury


Empires have come and gone on this earth time and again. Is it time for current super power United States of America to be thrown into the dustbin of history as many of its ilk have met the same fate? Most recently being USSR and earlier than that British Empire also came into its current state in the middle of the last century. History has uncanny habit of repeating itself and also knack of leavening a trace of its time most of the time. USSR disintegrated while Mikhail Gorbachoev was presiding over its affairs and after its failure in Afghanistan. Current AF-Pak policy of US is not only fraught with danger for US and its allies but also to an extent for South East Asia. At the time of exit US will leave Afghanistan much the same way or rather in better shape than aftermath of 9/11. That would be a telling failure of American policy in Afghanistan as it would leave Taliban and its step father ISI much bolder and reprisal would follow American interest on its soil and outside. East Asian Muslim community, who has suffered at the hands of home land security of US soon after 9/11, would positively make a common cause with Taliban and rogue elements of Pakistan, to strike America in a size and scale quite unimaginable at the moment, just like 9/11 was an absolute shocker at its time. It may so happen US could be nuked at multiple location at the same time and at the end unable to recoup from the military and moral setback from such an event; eventually and effectively writing the epitaph on American hegemony on global affairs. May be; if American policy does not change significantly then Obama who came with hope ultimately end up in presiding over the disintegration of USA much the same way as USSR.