President Obama visits London- What next?

US President Barack Obama’s visit to Europe witnesses its second destination after Ireland. The President arrived at London, 12 hours before his schedule, avoiding the ash flight delays. He was welcomed at the Buckingham Palace with royal pomp and show as ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ was played in the background by the Scots Guards.

But to anyone who has been scrutinizing how Obama was welcomed in Ireland and the royal treatment he got in London- the British style of offering honour and delight will get more than obvious. Also becaus I am currently reading Barack Obama’s auto-biography, I am able to understand, though to a very less degree for sure, what is going on in his mind.

And yes, its humor for me.

His words come in my mind, during the days when he was trying to establish himself in the Democrat role, ‘I tried my best to keep my mouth shut and hear what people had to say. I listened to people talk about their jobs, the local school, their anger at Bush and democrats, their dogs, their back pain, their war service and the things they carried from their childhood.’

Thus, I can imagine Obama listening about ‘the royal wedding, concern over Joplin, recession, Middle East, back pain, London’s weather, war service and of course, Afghanistan.’

As the US President and his wife meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the essential changes in the relationship between US and UK get highlighted.

Recently, both President Obama and British PM David Cameron had written a joint article mentioning the relationship between US and UK is ‘essential’ rather than just ‘special.’

‘Key Issues’

The emerging world issues integrated with the brutal protests going on in the Middle East prove to be the core underlying reasons behind the Europe tour. This is President Obama’s eighth trip to Europe.

Currently, the priority of this Europe trip is to definitely clarify and function on the West’s role in the Arab uprising. Promotion of financial stability and democracy are the other major concerns.

‘Rift in US-UK relations’

Over the past few years, the US-UK relations have definitely witnessed the emergence of rift. Though, it started with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year. Moreover, the unilateral announcement of UK to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan came as another major jolt to the relationship.

The recent stand of US in not taking a very upfront stand in Libya has also widened the differences. Moreover, President Obama not being invited to the Royal Wedding, a subject which was not much debated on, did show another crack.

‘Houses of Parliament’

President Obama would be addressing the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday and speaking about the role of western countries in Afghanistan.

Following the speech, both President Obama and PM Cameron would have private talks related with the current Middle Eastern uprising.

‘Group of Eight- French Summit’

Later both the politicians would join the French summit ‘Group of Eight’ which has already been confirmed by President Obama’s recent speech on the Middle-east.

The summit would focus on the economic and market integration of the Egyptian and Tunisian financial conditions so that they witness an upliftment.

Meanwhile, Obama’s departure would take place on Sunday. He would also visit France and Poland in this trip.

The entire trip tends to hold international importance as it would follow the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in the later month.

No country can dominate the technology and people, says Jared Cohen

There’s a reason why Jared Cohen has been named by Devex as one of the top40 people under 40 in the world. And you know it exactly why, when you hear him speak.

Smart. To the point. Brilliant story teller. And above all, someone who lets you speak, anxiously framing the right answers in his head, gearing up to drown you with his enormous data base of knowledge.

Very often, his eyes keep reaching out to other spectators involved in the listening process. He gives a blank expression. He is lost. Only to bounce back, again. Dressed in well fitted suit, trying to find relaxation after being jet lagged in his flight from New York to London, Jared Cohen knows when exactly the ball is in his court.

Loaded with statistical information, accurate digits and data, when Condoleeza Rice introduced him in as a member of US Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, he no doubt was the youngest member in the history of America. No one knew then, the history had just started for Cohen.

Now he is the director of Google Ideas, a new initiative which aims to reframe and function on the old challenges.

Not once in the entire interview did he bend in a lazy posture. With eyes direct to his target, he pounces. Listening to him demands recording him. With the pace so fast and so over loaded with information, the guy is a living wikipedia.

The 31 year old adjunct fellow lets you delve deeper into his life by stating how many years he studied about foreign relations and international policies. Few of the books which he has written, like ‘One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide‘, ‘Children of Jihad: A Young American’s Travels among the Youth in the Middle East’ give a fair idea of what his interests are.

Delving deeper into how the Obama administration works and giving real life examples of how he saw the President maintain the government obligations and still adopt the stand of a leader, Jared shares the example of ‘Neda Sultan’s death.’

‘If the data is good enough, it will go viral,’ he states.

Adding further to how fast communication has spread in the world, he reveals how President Obama could not avoid giving a speech on the death footage of Neda during the 2009 elections in Iran. ‘The footage not only reached him, he had to watch it. Even if Iran tried to control it, the footage had spread. Everyone was talking about it. How could President Obama not know about it? He knew and he had to address the population,‘ he revealed.

Therefore, he believes that technology has empowered the international domains to such a large extent that it can not be controlled or shut down.

Though, he also states that ‘Technology is a part of both the problem and the solution’

When I asked regarding how those rural masses can be involved in circulating the information to the wider world when they themselves hardly have enough money to buy a mobile, he recounted the example of Afghanistan.

He revealed how in Afghanistan, mobile devices are used to pay salary to the police officers. ‘Initially, the country witnessed bombing of towers. But when the police started getting their salary through mobile exchange, interestingly, in one of the only country in the world that does that, things changed.’

Thus, he hinted on development which occurs in various countries, both in terms of technology, combining the rural and the rich classes through ways of innovation and need.

The hint of ‘demand’ was more logically omnipresent in his voice, through out.

Well, one of the very reasons why he left his government job to join Google Ideas where different innovations with technology can be experimented and used.

He also hinted how several people in the past have  kept questioning him about the change his career and asked him if he did not love his government job so much but he humbly declines, giving a very straight answer stating how he loved ‘innovation’ more.

And as he approaches the end, sitting alert in the most vigilant position for an interviewee, he gets flooded with high profile professionals. And courteously speaking in his strongly accented American English and removing his collar mike, he runs out for his next endeavor.