Dear Barack,
On the occasion of your retirement from the U.S. presidency few weeks ago, I felt the need to address an open letter to you hoping that one day you may read it. To be honest, I am counting more on it being read by ordinary people, American citizens or not, all those who felt hope rising eight years ago when you took over the administration of the most powerful country in this world. The same people who supported you all those years. Those feeling devastated now by what follows you: Donald Trump….
During those eight years, you performed as an enlightened leader and during your administration a new era emerged for many things. An era of dignity for the Afro-American community but also for the entire United States as a country that leads the free world opened up with you as the first Afro-American president. An era that includes state recognition of same-sex marriage, finally acknowledging that an individual’s sexual orientation does not have to do with its civil rights. An era that started with the legalization of cannabis use, ending the decades-long hypocrisy. And an era marked by your vision to introduce an ambitious health care plan that applies to those in real need.
But your biggest achievement for your country, dear Barack, was for the rest of the world. After a catastrophic Bush administration that followed the controversial—in terms of its foreign policy—Clinton administration, you managed something that your country really needed. With your star quality and your skills as a leader, you managed to transform the face of the USA around the world from the hated «Darth Vader’s Black Star» to the leader of the Free World. That was something that the whole world needed and not just the United States of America.
The capstone of these achievements was the resolution of two major problems that had persisted for decades. You will be forever proud that during your administration diplomatic relations with Cuba were restored and you reached a deal with Iran about its nuclear program. With those two achievements, you infused hope in the belief that people and countries with different approaches to society and religion can come closer through discussion and understanding.
You have been the people’s friend. A guy that didn’t hesitate to sing, dance, make jokes and «wrinkle» your image but at the same time you didn’t try to hide heartfelt grief and sorrow. Throughout the past eight years, you were far from the unreachable politician and more like that guy someone could have a beer with and watch a basketball game the same time that could talk to him about dreams and frustrations. You thus gave comfort and hope that exuded from your inspiring words.
But, dear Barack, before you step down from the most powerful position in the world I have some questions I’d like you to help resolve.
Why didn’t you shut down Guantanamo as promised? What made you backtrack from one of your basic pre-elections announcements connected to the core of your policies, respect for human rights? Were eight years not enough to achieve this or is Guantanamo so important to America’s interests?
Dear Barack, did you proceed with a personal review of the Arab Spring? It’s an era that began during your administration as a result of an ingenious approach to how the US can interfere in the political developments of other countries without a military presence, simply by using social media networks as a conduit for American intelligence agencies to guide local resistance groups. What was the result of this political approach? Were the bloody dictators taken down worse than the religious fundamentalists who took over eventually? Maybe all those tyrants and their inhuman regimes kept in balance dynamics that the West cannot understand? Maybe your political approach opened Pandora’s box?
Maybe this political approach is partly responsible for the six years of ongoing conflict in Syria? What’s the solution that your administration provided for this problem? What’s the US responsibility for a whole generation of young Syrians drowning in the Mediterranean Sea?
I would also like to ask you this: is it true that during your administration there was a record number of deportations from the USA? Some 3.2 million immigrants were deported in the last eight years compared to 2 million during the Bush administration. Was that an easy solution as long as it’s not communicated to the public? Am I mistaken, or this is against your promise to provide support to all those who are seeking for their place in the American Dream?
Your economic policy yielded some great results and figures, but maybe this is a new bubble? Maybe the US economy is on the brink of the biggest collapse since 1929? And maybe at the same time the big party of the wolves of Wall Street is still on?
As it proved in the end, this is the party that the majority of American people felt Hilary Clinton represented. And as a result of that, the DNC paid the price of offering the candidacy of the US Presidency to a highly controversial person.
Let me ask you, dear Barack, what do you think would have happened if you had supported, even loosely, Bernie Sanders? A lot of my Americans friends are telling me that the system would never have allowed a Jewish guy to be elected as president. Are you part of this system or do you care about good and a close relationship with it? I certainly cannot accept this could be true for the first Afro-American president. But if you decided to stay neutral as your position defines, why did you do that only during the Democratic primaries and not during the election campaigns?
I have heard you refer to Bernie Sanders as an extremist, thus almost placing him on the same level as Donald Trump. Now that Trump’s election is a fact, I want to ask you one thing, dear Barack: whom would you support if you could turn back time? The senator from Vermont or the irrational businessman from New York City? Are you happy now having Donald Trump as the president of the United States?
Dear Barack, on the occasion of your retirement from the US presidency, I would like to ask: what is your share of responsibility for this uncomfortable situation? What’s your responsibility for the fact that Donald Trump is the 45th President of USA?