On the one hand one can rejoice with the American people. In this decadent age when political leaders in so many parts of the world are viewed with cynicism and contempt, it is the great good fortune of Americans to have discovered out of the blue a unique individual – intellectually brilliant, highly educated, articulate, charming, upright, humble, idealistic and principled to lead that nation. Not that the rise of Obama is a blessing limited to the American people.

Like it or not we now live in an inextricably interconnected "globalised" world where the fate of nations is inexorably determined by global economic, environmental and political currents, and where old fashioned grandiose notions of national sovereignty have very limited application. In such a globalised society it has been euphemistically asserted that the President of the United States is in a way the most powerful man on earth.

Consequently people of all nations not just Americans may well have good reason to rejoice at the emergence of a man of the stature of Barack Obama to give leadership to both America and a deeply troubled world at this time. However it is possible that for many people throughout the world such sentiments were probably eclipsed by the dejection of contemplating the contrasting reality of their own circumstances.

Indeed millions of people across many nations especially those Third world countries which deceptively label themselves "democratic and socialist" when in reality they are quagmires of tyranny, deceit and inequity, may well be deeply envious of Americans at this time when they behold the stark contrast between Barack Obama and their own leaders.

To such, the good fortune of the American people in electing an extraordinarily gifted President in the liberal tradition, is only a stark reminder of their own misfortune at being governed by politicians many of whom are perceived as being corrupt and unscrupulous, or at the very least just plain stupid and incompetent.

Ironically, the delectation of Americans at the election of Obama coincides with a period when they have every reason to be deeply despondent at the state of their nation. At this time Americans share with many other countries the agonies of a historic economic catastrophe. Arguably in some respects the United States being an infinitely larger and more complex economy may be more badly placed than other nations given millions of job losses, the virtual collapse of the banking system, and a tottering business corporations.

Americans also share with populations in many other countries the burden of terrorist threats, although being the prime target of Al-Qaeda’s deadly malevolence, and tied down by two unfinished wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America is seemingly in a far worse situation than countries like Sri Lanka which boast that 95% of their battle against terrorism has been accomplished.

Nevertheless, why is it that the mood of the American people on inauguration day a few weeks ago was characterised by mighty hope and high morale compared to the spirit of gloom and despondency with which populations in so many countries with similar problems seem to face the future at this time ?. What is it in a nation that transcends the trials and tribulations of the present however depressing and enables people to face the future with hope and optimism ?.

The sight of Americans virtually dancing in the street in January, even as nearly 600,000 people lost their jobs that same month, shows that what enlivens a nation even in the darkest of times is the confident expectation of good governance in the years ahead under trustworthy and competent leadership. It is that which makes all the difference. With President Obama in power Americans rejoiced in being able to look forward to such leadership for many years to come. No doubt their confidence was founded on many certainties which sadly cannot be shared by many people in other parts of the world.

For example Americans could rest assured that their President had not come to power through the fortuitous circumstance of a minority community of his detractors being precluded from voting for his opponent. Nor were they in any doubt that on election the new President would put together a cabinet of brilliant individuals who would be capable of providing outstanding governance in that country. They had no reason to fear that Obama would (even if the US constitution allowed it) use tax payers money to make every Tom, Dick and Harry of a Democratic Party member in Congress into a minister who would do his every bidding and ensure his continuance in power.

There was not a chance that on becoming President Obama’s siblings (if he had any) would have been drawn into positions of influence in his administration. On the contrary Americans could take satisfaction from the fact that their chosen leader was a true intellectual ( a former President of the Harvard Law review no less ) who valued the contribution that quality individuals with education, ability and integrity could make to public service , as against cloning a whole generation of fawning sycophants and mediocrities who only tell politicians what they like to hear.

In the area of policy, in promising to pursue diplomacy and wage peace rather than war wherever possible the new President was not afraid of alienating hawkish nationalists in the American electorate. He neither flinched from being branded a terrorist by fanatics for his moderate views before election, nor did he include extremists in his team after assuming office in order to placate a particular constituency. And if it came to waging war the new President did not believe that the end justifies the means. His uncompromising commitment to human rights and the rule of law come what may was reflected in his inauguration address where he said "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake".

Unlike so many heads of state with parochial loyalties Barack Obama has sought to bury political differences and unify a nation. Far be it from him to discredit and imperil political detractors and media critics by labeling them as terrorists, and the American public know that at the end of the day four years from now when it is time for re-election it is inconceivable that Obama would resort to ploys like lavishing cheap White House hospitality on successive groups of potential voters in order to canvass their support.

Finally, for us Sri Lankans, Obama’s resounding election victory brings into focus a still more depressing realisation. It has more to do with the contrasting attitudes in the two societies than any attributes of the new American President. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in America less than 150 years ago. Racism in the United States was such that less than just 50 years ago there were separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks, "Coloured balconies" in movie theaters, seats in the back of the bus for black people, with soldiers called out to protect little children who were trying to go to school.

Yet by 2008 Americans elected a black man as their President with the kind of acclamation that bore comparison with the victory celebrations after world war two. By contrast Tamils have resided in Sri Lanka for well over 2,000 years. The nations’ great tea industry was built on the backs of what was by modern standards Indian slave labour. Prof. K. M. de Silva records that during British colonial rule in the late 19th century "with the disinclination of the Sinhalese to take the lead in formal political agitation it was left to men like Ferguson, and more significantly the Tamils to assume the initiative.

The energy and enterprise displayed by the Tamil elite was a sharp contrast to the political inertia of their Sinhalese counterparts". After Independence the Tamils were an exceptionally educated and industrious community rising to the highest echelons of academe, administration and the learned professions in the country and making a distinguished contribution to public life. Nevertheless, in 2009 (whatever the constitutional provisions) it is inconceivable that Sinhala Buddhist hegemony in the island would allow a Tamil ( or for that matter even a practicing Christian) to be President or Prime Minister in this country! Even a personality who was as integrated into Sinhala society as Lakshman Kadiragamar and played an outstanding role in discrediting Tamil terrorism worldwide did not stand a chance.

What a tragedy that there should be so many reasons why ironically the very circumstances that made Americans rejoice wildly a few weeks ago should evoke feelings of gloom and dejection in some other parts of the world.