Barack Obama and the American Global Image - Shashi Tharoor

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/07/21/Shashi_Tharoor_Restoring_Americas_Image_in_the_World

Indian author and diplomat Shashi Tharoor examines worldwide interest in the U.S. 2008 Presidential elections, and discusses the global ramifications of an Obama Presidency.

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Shashi Tharoor discusses Restoring America's Image in the World: the Public Diplomacy Challenge as a part of American Foreign Policy: Leadership and Dialogue during the 2008 Chautauqua Institution morning lecture series.

Shashi Tharoor is chairman of the Dubai-based Afras Ventures and former under-secretary-general for communications and public information at the United Nations.

His UN career began in 1978, when he joined the staff of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees. He was also a senior adviser to the secretary-general. He has written hundreds of articles, op-eds, and book reviews in a wide range of publications. A contributing editor and occasional columnist for Newsweek International and a columnist for the Hindu and the Times of India, he is the author of nine books, including India: From Midnight to the Millennium, Nehru: The Invention of India, Bookless in Baghdad, The Great Indian Novel, Riot, and Show Business.

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[priyvratgadhvi]

shashi tharoor is amazing...unmatched eloquence...and articulate too!!

[mimimurk]

I can't believe the stupidity of these comments here

[Hperman09]

The U.S. is always hated long before this war on terror. 

[arterioes]

Obama didnt have to spend millions on his election campaign. He could have just hired this guy.

[commandera19]

Think China

[pnrm81]

Let us just forget about other comments,

they are just irritated by the fact that our India is the next superpower.

let us try to reach there faster, for that let us work harder, educate ourselves, our children, brothers and sisters, let us promote entrepreneurship, spread optimism, insha allah our India will be da best.

Let us show the world by our action than words. let us take that place which we deserve, which we held for long, which we will hold forever. lets make it, lets shine our India

[drdoc100]

@shinytooth23

whereas in India we had women prime ministers and current Indian prime minister is Sikh, a religion which forms 2 percent of indian population. And The chief of party currently in power in India is a white lady of italian origin "Ms Sonia Gandhi".

[drdoc100]

@shinytooth23 .

Your comment that India or china does not have no white leaders does not justify why america should not have a black leader because there are no white people at all in India or China, whereas a sizeable proportion of american population is black. But for you knowledge before Obama all the american presidents were white Christian men.

[shinytooth23]

Contrary to the rhetoric in this speech, having a 'person of color' doesn't prove anything about the degree of racism of our nation, compared to other countries. When is India going to elect a white leader? How many white leaders are there in China? White people have no greater obligation than any other racial group to please the global community with the color of their leaders. Obama will be judged by his successes and failures. Who will argue that the former have outweighed the latter so far?

[ComatoseFly]

Of course, like many arguments involving candidates and issues in America, the argument is based off of guilt. America must constantly proove again and agin its acceptance of all cultures and creed by continuously shooting its self in the foot to cater to minorities. As Mr. Tharoor put it, this point of view might find disapproval in those who hear it, but coming from an American living under the power hungry government under Obama, this isn't the America envisioned when Obama was elected.

[Inyahtihasta]

Tharoor's reasoning here doesn't quite make the mark. The actions of any nation in the world -- not matter how seemingly insignificant -- must exert some degree of influence on the global economy/social infrastructure at large; does it then follow that the people of Israel should "have a stake" in the Iranian elections or vice versa? But of course he would most likely never say such a thing. Nations should retain their sovereignty -- all this one-world-united nonsense gets us nowhere.

[nycsep]

@paulinotou I don't want him to shut up - but you are right. Damned if we do, and damned if we don't. it's like celebrity - people love to hate you on the way up and kick you on the way down. It's just because they are miserable with their own life