Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Obama's victory is good news for the Caucasus. By the end of his first term Obama was able to set the right tone for US policy in the Region. Bolder action will be required in the future.

Obama's victory is good news for the Caucasus. By the end of his first term Obama was able to set the right tone for US policy in the Region. Bolder action will be required in the future.

7 November 2012

Barak Obama has been re-elected as president of the United States. After a hottly contested election campaign Obama emerged a clear winner in the polls, winning a majority of both the popular vote as well as the electoral college which finally determines the US Presidency.

Commonspace.eu political editor commented on the president's re-election and its impact on the Caucasus Region:

"The re-election of Barak Obama as President of the United States is good news for the Caucasus Region.

By the end of his first term in office, and after an initial hesitation, quaintly referred to by American diplomats as a "strategic pause", Obama had managed to set the right tone for American engagement with the region. In summary this meant: (a) Continued US committment to the region and its prosperity and particularly for the independence of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and their right to determine their own foreign policy; (b) support for the peaceful resolution of the conflicts in the region, working with international partners in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Process, the Geneva Process and other fora; (c) support for the process of political and economic reform in the region, including through freedom of speech, the right of assembly and free and fair elections; (d) co-operation with international partners, including the EU, Turkey and Russia to support the region's future.

These priorities will continue to feature in Obama's second term.

President Obama in the first term did not allow himself to be deterred by lobbying by groups with vested interest when pursuing his policy in the region. This may have dissapointed some, but overall this was for the best interest of the region. Obama was also exemplary in supporting human rights issues in the region, and played a positive role in ensuring the recent transition of power in Georgia.

In the coming four years we hope that the President will provide leadership on issues related to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the South Caucasus. On both the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the conflicts in Georgia new initiatives are needed and the President should be ready to provide bold leadership."

source: commonspace.eu

photo: President Obama and Vice President Biden with their wives at a victory rally in Chicago on 7 November 2012.

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Ramadan begins
Trending

Ramadan begins

18 February 2026
The Muslim Holy month of Ramadan started on Wednesday, 18 February. For Muslims across the world, the holy month of Ramadan is a time for religious reflection, increased worship, charity and community. Observant Muslims abstain from all forms of food and drink between the hours of dawn and sunset whilst trying to reconnect with their faith. Islam adheres to the lunar calendar. This means that the month of Ramadan begins when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted  The lunar calendar is 10 to 11 days shorter than the modern 365-day Gregorian calendar, which is based on the Earth's rotation around the sun. This difference means Ramadan begins on a different day each year.  In Muslim-majority countries, dedicated state committees check for the crescent moon and officially announce the start of Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and several other Gulf countries claimed to have sighted the crescent moon on 17 February and declared 18 February as the first day of Ramadan. However, Egypt, Turkey Jordan and some other countries said the crescent moon was not sighted and therefore announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday 19 February. This means that the month of fasting will likely end on either Wednesday 18 March or Thursday 19 March, as there are either 29 or 30 days in a lunar month. As a result, Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, is likely to fall on either Thursday 19 March or Friday 20 March. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Muslims tend to celebrate Eid with a small breakfast and give to charity before Eid prayers in congregation.

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov