US Elections: Why do I care?

My first impression of USA was a photo of Nehru (Indian PM) walking with the US President JFK.  It was in the sixties.  The photo appeared in a Tamil weekly published in India.  I was not even a Teen then, but was an avid reader of Tamil weeklies form India.  Most of them were full of praise to Nehru; he was a National Hero, deservedly revered.  He was also known to be kind to kids, and was called an Uncle by them.  I too was a kid at that time, and I was probably happy to have a fictional uncle like Nehru.  In the photo was my fictional uncle, with a charismatic leader of the country, which won the Second World War.  I have heard of anecdotes of life in Jaffna during the war from my grandparents.  That’s how I connected JFK and Nehru, and both became and remain my favorite leaders even now.  The next impression was when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.  We sat around a LARGE analogue radio in Jaffna and listened to the live commentary.  

Later, I became critical of the Americans.  I could not understand why they were fighting in Vietnam and opposed Bangladesh Liberation war.

Yet, the coverage USA received in Sri Lankan newspapers were sufficient to keep my interest in US politics.  In particular, I was fascinated to read about CREEP (the Committee to Re Elect the President – Nixon), and their role in Watergate Scandal, impeachment of Nixon, and election of Jimmy Carter.  As Carter was facing re-election in 1980, I went to USA for my higher studies.  My first night in a Washington DC hotel, I watched Ted Kennedy’s speech at the Democratic Party Convention.  From then till now, I am sort of obsessed with US Presidential Politics.  Should I be?  After all, USA is one of the six countries I have lived in, and for only about 12% of my life.  

My fascination with US Politics is not just personal.  I believe what happens in USA will affect me and my children for many years to come.

It is the USA, which guarantees global peace, to some extent at its own expense.  It has been 70 years since the Second World War ended, and it is largely through the efforts of the Americans, we have not had a war of such magnitude.  Yes, there are at least twenty ongoing wars today, but none are at global scale, and casualties are not in millions.  Even in these wars, US play a role to mediate peace and minimize casualties.  Military alliances with USA are providing a sense of security on a day to day basis to Billions around the world including Australians like me.

America’s investment in health has contributed to advancement in treatments for diseases such as cancer; containment of deadly epidemics like Ebola and Zika; and reduction in child mortality by more than 50% since 1990s.  It is the scarcity of labour in US farms, which led to mechanization and automation of broad-acre Agriculture, and feed the world today.  When all developed nations are cutting down on research in Agriculture and Health, Americans continue to fund research, finding ways to produce more and better quality of food, and a healthier world.  They continue to build capacity of agriculturalists and medical professionals in Asia and Africa, where food supplies are insecure, water supplies are unreliable and health institutions are inaccessible.

  

It is the USA, which had been the home of innovation.  American technology has always been a part of my life.  I am grateful to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many alike.  I also believe it is the USA, which has shown the world that major societal changes can come within a short period of time.  When Asians struggle to beat the caste system, and the Europeans struggle to beat remnants of imperialism, the Americans have got rid of slavery, and preserved civil rights, all within two centuries.  Despite being the bastion of Capitalism, it is in America where many social programs are successfully infused to improve day to day life of the downtrodden.

Why were all these feats possible?  Because, it has the third largest land mass and the third largest population in the world.  The population came from all parts of the world, only in hope to do better than they were in their respective homelands.  The combination of the wealth (in the form of land), and the aspiring population led to the phenomenal success, which is America today. 

For non-Americans, they have shown the way to build a secure (military, health, and food security) world, and assisted them along the way.  It is the leaders Americans elect, help rest of the world feel secure.  What a difference President Obama has made to the world, which he inherited from GWB?  I like to see the benefits continue, not just for me, but for my children.  That’s why I remain interested in US politics.