Why Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, and Others Might Be Nervous About President Obama By Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez,

JG: I'd like to turn back to London to Tariq Ali, who is there, veteran journalist, commentator and activist. He was born in Pakistan and lives in London. Tariq, your reaction to the election of Barack Obama and to what it might mean for your native land, Pakistan?

Tariq Ali: Well, I mean, my reaction was not so different to that of other people you've already interviewed. I mean, historically, the fact that there's going to be a black family in the White House can't be underestimated in terms of the impact that will have on black consciousness in the United States. I think it's important in its own right for that reason.

As for what the policies are going to be, the situation is pretty depressing. I mean, Obama, during his campaign, didn't promise very much, basically talked in cliches and synthetic slogans like "change we can believe in." No one knows what that change is. In foreign policy terms, during the debates, his -- what he said was basically a continuation of the Bush-Cheney policies. And in relation to Afghanistan, what he said was worse than McCain, that we will actually -- we should take troops out of Iraq, send them into Afghanistan and, if necessary, go in and take out people inside Pakistan without informing that government.

Now, I think once he is in power and sees the intelligence reports coming in from Afghanistan, he will realize that that's not a serious option. I mean, the British are already saying that sending in more troops isn't going to help, because the war is lost. The United States intelligence agencies are already involved in panic discussions with the people they are fighting, the neo-Taliban, to try and persuade them to join the coalition, which they're refusing to do as long as there are foreign troops there. So, escalating the war I don't think is a serious option. And if he does it, it will be a very, very serious mistake, on the same level in scale as invading Iraq. So, he would be very ill-advised to do it. And I think some of the people around him will probably tell him that that was a foolish and intemperate remark in the heat of an election battle, so not to seem too wimpish, since he was already supposedly opposed to the war on Iraq, and that he will pull back from that.

I think the key is what he's going to do in Iraq. Is Iraq, as Joe Biden wants, going to be balkanized, with permanent U.S. bases in northern Iraq and a Kurdish area, more or less, kept going as a U.S. Israel protectorate? Or, are they going to do what the U.S. traditionally does, long before the "war on terror," which is find local relays? And in that case, I think they'll have to do a deal with Iran. And I think the most critical interview with Ahmadinejad on his last visit to New York was Amy questioning him about his position on the Iraq war, etc. He got a very easy ride on CNN and other shows, which indicates that they will be asking Iran to play a role in stabilizing Iraq, and they will be asking Pakistan to do the same in Afghanistan. That is more traditional U.S. policy. And if Obama moves in that direction, it will mean withdrawing troops and having an exit strategy in Afghanistan.