SINGAPORE (Apr 16): On March 19, I conducted an hour-long one-on-one interview with the 44th President of the US. The event was hosted in Singapore by the Bank of Singapore. It was held on stage before an audience of 1,200 guests from around the world.
Barack Obama is not just a former president of the US. He had the “audacity” to challenge stereotypes and conventional assumptions. At 47, he became the first black president in the White House. He achieved this despite his limited exposure to the capital, and limited access to capital to fund a presidential campaign.
There were great expectations that Obama would change the adversarial nature of the world and reduce the polemics in politics. To what extent did he achieve this during his eightyear term? The reviews are mixed.
It was a unique and valued experience to have this personal engagement with Obama, and to see the person behind the persona.
I put it to him that there is a fine line between idealism and naivety, and that there are just as many who see him as being the latter. I could see he was not quite sure where I was going with this. Yet, he was sporting enough to honour it with a serious, thoughtful response. He said during his two terms in office, he dealt with several unprecedented situations and “in each of those instances, my main focus was practical — how do we solve this problem. When it came to fighting terrorism, we were vigilant and tough and very realistic about the need to eliminate Al-Qaeda, for example. But what I also believed as a practical matter was that we did so in a way that respected our traditions of rule of law. I didn’t do that out of a sense of idealism”.
He later crystallised the point by saying that, “In politics, oftentimes, there is this false divide between people who are idealistic and want to do good, and people who are realistic and tough. But what I would suggest is that most of the time, having regard for your fellow men and thinking of the perspectives of those who are not like you, showing a sense of compassion for those who are less fortunate — those are very practical responses that will lead to better outcomes”.
Obama brought up the rule of law just when I was going to ask him why it appeared to be particularly important to him. For me, this was evidence of how much it mattered to him. Not only was it a key point in his farewell speech as president in 2017, he also highlighted it in his book Audacity of Hope, which he authored in 2006, two years before he became president. He wrote: “Since 9/11, we have played fast and loose with constitutional principles in the fight against terrorism. But I acknowledge that even the wisest president and the most prudent congress would struggle to balance the critical demands of our collective security against the equally compelling need to uphold civil liberties.” There is clearly a consistency in Obama’s belief system over the years. His admission that it is a “struggle” to find that balance made him come across as honest, idealistic and pragmatic at the same time.
He went on to say that when he looks back at his presidency, there are not many decisions he regrets having made. The conversation then moved to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he singled out as something that left him “irritated for not getting done”.
On whether there is a basis for being apprehensive about China’s political, economic and military power, his response was candid. “I would be more worried about a chaotic, poor China than a successful, wealthy China, so that it feels confident and is able to interact with countries in the region and around the world and take on responsibilities that are commensurate with its size and its wealth,” he said. Obama added that he would like to see a China that is less “mercantilist” and willing to share the burden of responsibility with the US in responding to international crises.
This captured his abiding belief in shared interests and a multilateral, multimodal means of settling disputes.
Obama came alive when the conversation switched to his work, going forward. He talked about his faith and belief in young leaders across the world. He feels that in the years ahead, the single thing he could do best would be “to train a next generation of leaders around the world and in the United States so that the values I care about and the issues and policies that I care about would be carried forward. And more importantly, that new solutions and new ideas and innovation in the areas of politics and social change could come about”.
Not onl y were his responses thoughtful and thought-provoking, Obama also came across as authentic. It did not matter as much that he may not have got all his policies or actions right when in office — I can’t think of any president who did — it’s evident that his heart is in the right place. He is a good man, with the energy, clout and will to make things happen for a better world. He gives us much needed hope.
Hence, my closing line: “We look forward to a braver, better new world with President Barack Obama continuing to lead the charge.” Viswa Sadasivan is CEO of Strategic Moves, a corporate strategy & communications consultancy; a veteran interviewer; and a former Nominated Member of Parliament of Singapore
Viswa Sadasivan is CEO of Strategic Moves, a corporate strategy & communications consultancy; a veteran interviewer; and a former Nominated Member of Parliament of Singapore
