Barack Obama Disappoints World With Broken Promises

Obama campaigned on the promise of change and a new hope. One popular phrase was "change we can believe in". These changes have not materialized and his promises have become broken, empty and disappointing.

In August of 2007, he stated: "As president, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act, and adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists."

Palestine was also promised to be on the road to statehood. Obama said in a 2010 speech at the U.N.: "When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations, an independent, sovereign state of Palestine living in peace with Israel.” This statement was augmented by the following Obama quote: "the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own.”

In another speech, he further supported a Palestinian state and the end of the illegal occupation:








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzE_XNMuHOo

However, the US continues to block all Palestine's attempts to seek U.N. recognition as a state. In searching for official recognition, they are peacefully fighting to gain political strength to oppose their occupation. The Geneva Convention violations that Israel enacts against the Palestinian people continue to exist and worsen with each passing year. No action is taken by Obama to end the occupation, stop the violations nor to support a Palestinian state.



The majority of the world governments, 80 % in fact, recognize the Palestinian state. Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 135 have recognized the State of Palestine as of 30 October 2014. The total population of the 135 countries is over 5.5 billion people, yet, Obama remains opposed to voting in favour for Palestinian statehood despite his earlier statements.

In 2012, Palestine achieved non-member observer status in the U.N. The world emphatically supported the motion: 138-9. The only countries against were: Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Panama, United States. Not only does Obama not support recognizing Palestinian statehood, he was against allowing Palestine observer status in the U.N. This is a definite betrayal of his earlier promises to support Palestine.


Obama not only refuses to support a Palestinian state in the U.N., he acts against their initiatives to gain recognition. Moreover, he prevents the world from trying to bring peace by ending the expansion of the illegal settlements. Obama has vetoed the UN Security Council as they attempted to stop Israel from continuing their illegal settlements. This mocks his promise to adhere to the Geneva Conventions as numerous UN Security council resolutions, including 446, 452, 465, 471 and 476, consider the Israeli settlements as having "no legal validity" under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Despite the fact that UN Resolutions 446 and Article 49 of the Geneva Convention all define Israeli acts of occupation as illegal and declare them to be war crimes, Obama supports them in the U.N.:







www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQz1dVCZwHY


Guantanamo prisoners continue to be kept from having any prisoner rights and they are also are being denied civilian rights as they are kept without any evidence of wrong doing. As a law professor, Obama must be aware of habeas corpus. Why not have a trial to condemn these people justly?


Drone attacks have become the favourite M.O. of Obama. How can a former professor of Constitutional Law condone drone strokes? There is no due process. The attacks kill people that are not clearly identifiable and have never been given an opportunity to know what they have been accused of, offer a defence and appeal. In fact, they are simply targeted and killed without having been convicted on any point of law in any judicial context. Those killed who are guilty of being in the vicinity and have never been identified nor even targeted are victims of war crimes.


Overall, Obama has not made any significant positive changes in dealing with international issues. There have been changes but not ones that people had hoped for. Things have worsened. Palestine is much smaller in size and blockades and settlements have worsened the situation for the people. Israeli attacks on civilians have created more orphans and fewer children are alive to play soccer with their friends. People continue to sit in prison with no hope for due process. Drone strikes are increasing rapidly and becoming a new norm. This is not representative of changes that the world believed in. Considering his predecessor, the reign of this democratic leader, impossibly, has made the world a little more evil.