Analysts at home and abroad continue to comment on what anObama presidency will mean for the United States and the world. The former headof a South African opposition political party says Barack Obama's biographycould allow him to play a unique role in Africa.
TonyLeon is a member of South Africa's parliament and former leader of theDemocratic Alliance Party. Leon, who's currently at the CATO Institute inWashington, spoke to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua aboutthe election of the first African-American president.
"Ithought it was an extraordinary result. It was very exciting to be inWashington at such a time of transcending change. Secondly, I think it doesoffer a great deal of hope, not just to America but to the wider world. Thebiography of Barack Obama is such that I thought it was very affirming of whathas come to be known as 'American exceptionalism.' That someone, really fromsuch modest background, the son of a Muslim and a Kenyan, who was brought up inconditions of extreme modesty, can rise to be president of the United Statesbased on an extraordinary effort on his part," he says.
Healso praises American voters, saying that they "really are prepared to embracechange in a way that was unimaginable a few years ago. I was very struck by thefact that?(at) the time Barack Obama's Kenyan father and white Kansan mothergot married, inter-racial unions were banned in many states in the UnitedStates. Well, now of course the offspring of that union is the president of thewhole United States. And I think symbolically that means a great deal."
Asfor the effects the Obama presidency might have internationally, Leon says, "Inparts of the world where there's an anti-Americanism, sometimes an uninformedone, sometimes beyond that, I think this offers a very powerful antidote tothat. It's going to create a lot of cognitive dissonance for people who have arather caricatured view of the United States."
Leoncompares the election of Mr. Obama to that of Nelson Mandela as South Africanpresident in 1994. He says, "I think the election of Mandela, which I wasprobably too closely involved [with)?to have a sense of historic detachment,which one does now ? but the election of Mandela on the 27 ofApril 1994 was an instance of a country like South Africa turning its back onthree-and-a-half centuries of racial exclusion. So, I think there are thesehistoric page-turning moments? And I certainly think Tuesday, November the 4,was one and in South Africa the 27 of April was another."
Askedwhether African countries might expect too much from the president-electbecause of his African heritage, Leon says, "If you actually look at theprogram?Barack Obama's position on Africa is not much different?from hisdefeated opponent, John McCain. It's fairly mainstream stuff. It supports a lotof the initiatives that were started under President Bush (PEPFAR andMillennium Challenge Account).? My impression of Barack Obama's standpoint isthat he would be more conditional. It would not be a case of?I'm half African,therefore I'm a soft touch. (He) would say I understand a lot about thecontinent and I'm going to offer you tough love.? I don't think he's asupporter of the kind of solidarity politics that have been practiced by theAfrican Union, for example, in respect to the Sudan ? the shielding of someonelike (Sudanese President) Omar al-Bashir from international justice. If youlook at Obama's record in the Senate, he's one of the prime people who brought(former Liberian leader) Charles Taylor to justice for his crimes in SierraLeone."
Leonsays Mr. Obama also has another advantage. "He is in a unique position perhapsof any American president ever to say things that are sometimes not said forreasons of history or political correctness when it comes to Africa."