How could I not devote this column to the recent election of US president-elect Barack Hussein Obama? This will go down as a momentous historical event, not just because of the symbolism of a black president, but because of the promise of what will be achieved during his tenure. With Democratic majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, he has every chance of realising his manifesto objectives. So, what might this mean for local government here? Well, first, we have hope for a safer world. The removal of the Republican hawks Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney will mean a more moderate and bi-partisan approach to foreign affairs, not least in the Iraq and Afganistan war theatres, but also the danger zones of Israel-Palestine and Korea. Over time, we will see a - slow - reduction in the level of terrorist threat, as paradigms shift and relationships between key players are brokered and improved.
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