The transfer of power in the United States from the Republicans to the Democrats, through the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is a world-resounding event and will have positive effects not only in the United States itself but all over the world.

Looking back at the past 30 past years one would surely note that political life in this period was dominated by the extraordinary events that took place in Iran in the late 1970s and especially with the installation of an Islamic regime in 1979 to replace the Shah, a key US ally.

These events created a new balance of forces in the region, which eventually affected not only the Middle East but also the international scene in a wider sense.

Now, since oil in the Middle East is considered of strategic importance to the US, the events in Iran created a frenzy in the media in that country, which was reflected by a popular sentiment bringing to power five conservative administrations out of the seven Presidential elections held during the past 28 years. These conservative administrations in turn did pursue a very aggressive policy internationally, culminating in the staging of wars to protect what they construed to be US interests.

The high point of this policy was reached following the events of 9/11 with the institution of the war on terror.

It was only the financial crisis of 2007/8 that may be said to have brought this frenzy to some kind of normality.

Now that this era of fear may be said to be receding, it is possible for the left and progressive movement to start reorganising itself.

In Malta a similar sentiment of nationalism may be said to have been experienced following the unfortunate events of 1980, when Libyan patrol boats stopped Malta from drilling for oil. Since then the popular majority has voted – with one exception in 1996 – for the right wing Nationalist Party. A new durable progressive majority may only be created when the geo-political situation overcomes the present state of affairs. In the meantime left-wing and progressive people should continue to organise themselves so that the country would not lack a leadership when the time comes.

Mario Mifsud

Hamrun