Regardless of the results in the US Mid-term elections it has brought the fantasy of Obama’s ‘hope and change’ vision crashing into a harsh reality. For many Americans Obama has only brought a continuation of the problems he was laden with both internal and foreign. Where western governments are quick to say the economic crisis is gradually getting better and progress is occurring quicker than expected, the reality for the people on the ground is only hardship. With record levels of poverty not seen since the 1960’s many who had previously supported Obama have now been looking for alternatives which has driven the tea party movement in the conservative republicans.

Obama’s popularity has dipped to the lowest it has ever been where democrat candidates have declined appearances by the president for fear of harming their election hopes. As well as the economic worries shared by Americans, the numerous activities the government is involved in are a major concern. With unresolved problems in Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Obama’s administration has come across incompetent and lost. For those who struggle to feed their families depending on the charity of their neighbours it is extraordinary that their government participates in wars and negotiations which render them targets for resistance groups and then makes them foot a military budget going into the hundreds of billions. The rhetoric used by Obama of a more friendly ‘hands off’ role in the world to grease his way into the White House, not only fooled the American people but also many hopeful Muslims around the world.

Since Obama has been in office he has prolonged the war in Iraq, leaving the country an unstable frightening place to live. The recent wikileak scandal has shown that little changed going from Bush to Obama, where the invading forces objective was only to seize control and not to provide a new way of life and system. The horrors of the oppressive Saddam regime have lived on in the American military and Iraqi security, where torture and abuse is rife with the invading nations turning a blind eye. Far from being the promised land of democratic progress, the continuing turmoil means Obama has a pretext in which to stay in Iraq. Having permanent bases in strategic points of the globe ensures the American menace is more flexible to deal with any future threats to their global control.

Not content with ruining one country Obama turned his attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The war in Afghanistan and Pakistan has only just begun, where similar tales are told as from Iraq of indiscriminate killings through aerial bombing through drone attacks and sectarian divisions which has spilled into Pakistan. Once again the western democratic values are exposed as little help is given to the thousands threatened by the flood waters which are turning toxic with disease. Determined to achieve their objective Obama’s government instead heaped threat upon threat to Zardari to deal with the war in the north of Pakistan, at a time when these same soldiers should have been coming to the aid of children and the elderly struggling to survive. The west cannot afford to let a national disaster divert them from their plans in central Asia. As the fight for the abundant gas and oil wealth in and around the Caspian Sea has been the obsession of the American and European vultures for hundresd of years known as the great game. Russia has already sensed America’s weakness and has worked hard to undermine the American support in the central Asian countries, turning each government one by one from pro-American to pro-Russian puppets. Due to this competition Obama is determined to install a pro-American Afghan government and subdue the Taliban to ensure gas lines will be protected.

Another source of embarrassment for Obama is the Israel-Palestine conflict. A number of American presidents have struggled to deal with this issue, one after the other declaring their love and support for the Zionist Israeli state. Obama has been no different, disappointing Muslim hopes of a balanced view of the issue. Bouncing from generally supportive discussion to a more assertive tone the Obama administration is desperate to get both Israeli and Palestinians to agree to a two state solution. The real objective clearly being a containment of Israel, the injustice done to the Palestinians falls to the bottom of the priority list. Where mass murder in the bombing of Gaza provides little reprimand let alone punishment and accepting the continued stealing and construction on Muslim land as agreed in UN resolutions, the American state has given continued evidence of little care for the lives of the Palestinians. If America wanted to put an end to the behaviour of Israel for the sake of justice and fairness, ample pressure could be applied by threatening to remove all financial ties and aid given to Israel.

A deeper look at western intervention around the world shows that each administration shares the same aims and values, searching and pursuing its interests around the world. As an ummah we should view every action from the west from western values and not Islam’s moral values. The western capitalist state strives to protect its interests around the world, where its consumer nation is hungry for resources. Anything which risks severing western access to these resources must be dealt with. As an expanding, mostly young ummah which is desperate for solutions and increasingly calling for the Islamic solution, we are a growing problem which must be crushed and pacified. As an ummah we must ensure that we are aware of western intentions in our lands, and not have false hopes in conmen like Obama and instead look to establishing a sincere Islamic leadership, the Khilafah.