Distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’ is dangerous: Obama

We should feel confident about the progress we've made but we shouldn't be complacent, said the former US president

GN Bureau | December 1, 2017


#Barack Obama   #US President   #US  


Former US president Barack Obama on Friday said that the distinction between 'us' and 'them' is dangerous and can wreak havoc on us all.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit in New Delhi, Obama said that he was proud to have proud to have been the only US president to have visited India twice during his tenure.

He said that t partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies is a defining one and India, US share common values.

The former US president said that the world is more connected than ever before.

“India has lifted countless millions out of poverty. India and US have thrown off the yoke of colonialism and have drafted the constitutions that begins with the same three words: "We, the people". Our history together speaks about a common set of values - pluralism and tolerance, a liberal market based order that places primacy on individual rights,” he said.

He added: “We should feel confident about the progress we've made but we shouldn't be complacent. We have to acknowledge the real economic forces that sometimes make our people feel powerless.”

Obama said that we have to acknowledge and ensure high tech economy works for everybody. “Economies don't work well when the middle class is neglected.”

He stressed that values of pluralism, openness, law, freedom of speech and press, dignity, freedom must be promoted. “We can't unwind globalisation or pretend automation doesn't exist. We need to invest in our people's skills, education. We have to work to lower our carbon emissions but we can't do that by ourselves.”

He said all steps India is taking to leapfrog the use of conventional energy are starting to bear fruit.

“We can invest in our people and their skills. We should empower those who are willing to take risks and work on their own,” said the former US president who added that we have to build new social compacts to benefit from new economy and give same opportunities.

“We have to recognise how technology is changing how the youth is consuming information. It is easier to retreat into our bubbles. This poses great danger,” he warned.

“Democracies cannot function without a baseline about what's true and what's false. We all have work to do and democracy is hard. Progress doesn't move in a straight line. But the trend lines are in the direction of success. Those of us who believe in democracy need to speak forcefully. We have to teach these values to our children,” said Obama.
 

Comments

 

Other News

A portrait of Dom community opens a world not seen by many

Fire on the Ganges: Life among the Dead in Banaras By Radhika Iyengar 4th Estate / HarperCollins, 348 pages, 599

Revamp BMC Engineering Department for better governance, says think tank

Calling for reforms in the Engineering Department of BMC, Mumbai Vikas Samiti, a not-for-profit organisation has said that less than optimum performance of Engineering Function has added to the woes of citizens and deterioration in the quality of life in the metro. In its recently released r

NGO hails Maharashtra move to amend Insecticide Act

Hailing the Maharashtra government for introducing a bill to amend the Insecticide Act, 1968, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India has called the amendments ‘very  focussed’ and urged the state to expand their scope to address other challenges. The bill, introduced in the a

‘Garba of Gujarat’, now a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage

`Garba of Gujarat` has been inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity by UNESCO, under the provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of t

Cyber frauds helpline has helped save Rs 930 crore

Since its inception, Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System has witnessed more than 12.77 lakh complaints registered (till November 15, 2023), and has saved more than Rs. 930 crore in more than 3.80 lakh complaints. This was stated by minister of state for home affair

COP28 discusses climate resilient development in Himalayas

Impacts and implications of Climate Change Vulnerability in the Himalayan Region and ways of creating ‘Climate Resilient Development in Indian Himalayan Region by making mountain communities green and resilient were discussed the side event hosted at the India pavilion at the UN Climate Conference CO

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter