Opinion

According to the dictionary definition, democracy is a government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. November 4, 2008, indeed, was the highest point of the democracy, when a person belonging to a minority was elected by the majority, overwhelmingly, as their leader, under a free electoral system. Just within an hour of his victory confirmation he changed the face of America from a bully to a humble world community member.

The highest point of the day was when President-elect Obama said, "… to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright -- tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope”.

Time will tell if Obama’s words were hollow rhetoric or he would really be able and willing to act on what he pledged in his speech.
The key question in Pakistan is where Pakistan stands in the new realities? President-elect Obama talked about Pakistan and Afghanistan almost in all of his policy speeches and interviews. One thing is for sure that he will not be having a “buddy” relationship with Zardari, like the one between Bush and Musharraf.
1. This could afford a golden opportunity to Pakistan to cultivate long-term relations with the US based on mutual respect of concerns and mutual understanding of limitations.
2. Pakistan should convince the Obama administration to nominate a Pakistani-American as special envoy to Pakistan-Afghanistan, who can sense the pulse of the people in Pakistan and the tribal areas and succeed in achieving greater understanding.
3. Pakistan government should understand that no matter what Obama believes, his senior most foreign policy advisor Joseph Biden is a staunch supporter of democracy in Pakistan. Joe Biden and Dick Lugar unveiled the “democracy dividend” bill – co-sponsored by Barak Obama -- which would authorize $7.5 billion to Pakistan over five years to be used for development purposes such as building schools, roads, and medical clinics. It also calls for "greater accountability on security assistance."
4. Finally, the media in Pakistan should stop worrying too much about what Obama said during his election campaign. Or for that matter the greater support that the Democratic Party has demonstrated for India compared to Pakistan. The Bush administration called Pakistan its close ally but had a marked tilt towards India. The media should began to bring a sustained pressure on the government to come up with a clear policy about the economy, the war on terror and relations with India and Afghanistan, and work with the Obama-Biden administration with complete transparency and understanding.