This year’s American Presidential election will be heatedly contested by the two US political parties. It will test the soul and resolve of the American people. President Obama, who was elected in 2008 as the first African American president, will have a momentous task convincing many white Americans that in spite of having taken out Osama Bin Laden and having paid no attention to black issues, that he is a Christian and not un-American, will overcome these odds and be re-elected.

Obama’s real obstacle is not his lack of defence of liberal economic thinking but the stereotype of African American as un-Americans in spite of the fact that they have time and time again proven their loyalty to the flag of the United States of America, in war and in peace.

The legacy of racism throughout the Western World is simply not understood in America nor the Cayman Islands for that matter, and if understood its ramifications are denied daily in both countries. But Obama will be re-elected because the elite of America wanted him in office in 2009, and will want to retain him to continue promoting the image he has projected to the global community even before 2009. America is a multi-racial, multi-cultural society where each person is allowed to fairly compete for a share of the world’s resources and currencies.

The election of President Obama in 2008 was therefore no fluke; in fact it was a well-planned and executed strategy by the American elite, to which Obama is an integral part. The objective was to recover America’s image abroad as the leader of a global liberal economic market. And these elite are well aware that the majority of the world is made up of non-whites and that military domination of none whites is inferior to economic and technological supremacy. Who therefore is the best salesman for this job; Romney or Obama? Even the name Obama is more of a winner on the international playing field. The Republican Party is now splintered and isolationist because of its core values and leadership. Internally it alienates African Americans, Hispanics and other minority groups who have strong roots in parts of the world where America is re-branding its image as a leader in business not just a leader in interventions and occupations.

For this reason big business cannot at this time entrust them with the leadership of America. Therefore, although Republicans may say there is one America, those on the outside of their narrowly defined ultra conservative white Christian culture know very well that the America of the present Republican Party, which is strongly influenced by Tea Party supporters, is ideologically rooted in the 20th not the 21st Century.

The reality of this century as unacceptable as it may be to some at this time, is that there is a race between China, India and certain other countries on one side and what we have known for centuries as the West, to gain favourable market positions in the emerging consumer markets in the Arab and black African nations, which not only possess a large share of the world’s natural resources but the world’s future consumer markets. Making these countries into consumer markets rather than sources of cheap raw materials is the new American world strategy, which also encompasses their real national security interest.

I have always had a love for the study of history and politics and I wished more of our politicians did also. Because if they did, the past PPM government would have taken note of the possible severity of the present global meltdown and the present UDP government would be paying more attention to our economic projections as seen by the United Kingdom government and their concerns about the sustainability of our Caymanian society.

The Premier should stop and analyse just how Obama’s insourcing policies will affect our ability to grow our financial sector over the next five years. The old assumption that a democratic government will create economic opportunities for tax havens because the rich will run from taxes could very well be a thing of the past.

The present political leadership in this country needs to pay more attention to the task of reducing the size of our government and our expectations before it is too late. They need to legalise casino gambling and really get into the tourism business and stop running up and down looking for high worth individuals to invest in God only knows what! Our economic future, if we are to have one after two consecutive terms of government mismanagement, will depend upon developing our own natural assets rather than hoping to continue pillaging those of other nations.

Frank McField