Kieran Lawrence looks at autonomous weapons and the effect they could have on modern warfare
Continuing a series on world leaders, Miles Deverson takes a look at Angela Merkel
Ben Bland examines the fallout from the Iowa caucuses and looks forward to the New Hampshire primaries.
In the first of a series on world leaders, Miles Deverson takes a look at Nicholas Sarkozy
There are many accusations that may be levelled at President Barack Obama. Some say he has failed to adequately deal with the financial crisis whilst others are still more concerned with his radical healthcare reforms.
Whatever one feels about the decisive issues of the Obama presidency, it remains clear that the current President is a highly intelligent, calm and collected individual with at least some leadership skill. Whether this will be enough to allow his legacy to be anything more than “the first black President” is yet to be seen.
What can be known for certain is that Herman Cain has already blown his chances of becoming Republican presidential nominee for 2012, and that as the only black candidate in the race, he has sadly managed to provide nothing of the figurehead gravitas that Obama has acquired over the years. A self-made pizza mogul, Cain has too little of the wit and strong character that got Obama elected. Neither does he have the political intelligence.
Even George W. Bush could answer questions with conviction when running for the presidency. His answers may have often been so wide of the mark that they appeared destined for Saturn but they were answers none the less. Cain has appeared unsure of any definitive political ideas, notably when asked about US involvement in Libya this week he defiantly stated his opposition to the tactics Obama utilised… before then deciding that he was not actually sure after all.
His indecisiveness has not been his only problem. Sexual harassment allegations have been unconvincingly batted away and his poll performance has plummeted in recent weeks. The Obama campaign was arguably more often in trouble during his primary race with Hillary Clinton than in his duel with John McCain ahead of the actual election, but as a candidate Obama dealt superbly with the pressured placed upon him.
Herman Cain has shown little of that resourcefulness. He is becoming something of a joke, which in one way is a slight the man is undeserving of, for he has views and opinions held strongly enough to appeal to the conservatives of the American populous. However any serious candidate for the presidency in 2012 who asks 87 year old Henry Kissinger to step out of retirement to be his Secretary of State begs to be taken less than seriously.
The differences between Cain and Obama are obvious, the gulf between their respective statuses as political leaders is equally apparent. The lawyer against the businessman, the quick thinker against the plodder. Even for the bizarrely inconsistent voters of the USA, there really is no contest.
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