The passing away of an icon of American idealism
Friday, 28 August 2009
Senator Edward M Kennedy or Ted as he was popularly called, the last of the surviving Kennedy brothers, passed away last Wednesday that stirred worldwide emotions of grief and loss. There are reasons for the same. First, he was the last standard bearer of a famous family in the United States that sent the elder brother John F Kennedy to the White House. John F Kennedy remains indelible in the minds of many Americans of his generation and beyond not only for his tragic assassination but for his great idealism and statesmanship that made him one of the most remembered and admired US presidents. Ted Kennedy's other brother, Senator Robert Kennedy, ran for the US presidency after his brother's death but was similarly assassinated. There was considerable pressure on Ted Kennedy to carry forward the unfinished presidential ambitions of his brothers. But for private and family reasons he declined such suggestions and decided to devote his lifetime as a lawmaker. In this, he was supremely successful and as a senator for more than three decades, he played a vanguard role in promoting and passing many legislation considered as having much significance from the perspective of the well-being of ordinary Americans. Ted Kennedy did not become a President but as a legislator he was a towering figure in American life and was noted as one of the most influential and longest serving senators in US history.
Like his brothers before him, Ted Kennedy has always remained close to the founding ideals and spirit of the American union. He was a great liberal force for the good and this was sharply manifest in the period before and after the independence of Bangladesh. The Republican administration of President Richard Nixon had taken a position against the creation of Bangladesh. But Ted Kennedy personified the real spirit and values of the USA by strongly coming out against the barbarities of the military junta of Pakistan against Bangladesh. He played an outstanding role in upholding the justness of the democratic struggle of the people of Bangladesh against the occupation of Pakistan in the US and the world at large. Soon after the independence of Bangladesh, he was the first prominent figure from the US to visit Bangladesh and express solidarity with the fledgling new-born country. The formal US recognition of Bangladesh that followed was thought to be considerably linked to his activities to build support for the move in his country. Therefore, Ted Kennedy will be in the remembrance of Bangladeshis as a great friend in their days of grim struggle to establish their rights of self-determination.
The United States dominated the world in the last century as the strongest power on earth, both militarily and economically. But that domination was tempered by the lofty values of democracy, self determination, liberty, free trade, etc., that the US tried to promote worldwide and practiced considerably. This is not to say that there was any dearth of unjustified uses of US power and influence that invited criticisms of ugly Americanism or imperialism. But the profile of America as a positive force on the whole for the good of mankind endured till George W. Bush took over the reins of the US administration. Ted Kennedy, true to the heritage of US liberalism, opposed the excesses of the Bush administration. He will always be remembered by his compatriots and liberal people worldwide for his outstanding contribution to upholding the bright face of the USA before the world's gaze.
Like his brothers before him, Ted Kennedy has always remained close to the founding ideals and spirit of the American union. He was a great liberal force for the good and this was sharply manifest in the period before and after the independence of Bangladesh. The Republican administration of President Richard Nixon had taken a position against the creation of Bangladesh. But Ted Kennedy personified the real spirit and values of the USA by strongly coming out against the barbarities of the military junta of Pakistan against Bangladesh. He played an outstanding role in upholding the justness of the democratic struggle of the people of Bangladesh against the occupation of Pakistan in the US and the world at large. Soon after the independence of Bangladesh, he was the first prominent figure from the US to visit Bangladesh and express solidarity with the fledgling new-born country. The formal US recognition of Bangladesh that followed was thought to be considerably linked to his activities to build support for the move in his country. Therefore, Ted Kennedy will be in the remembrance of Bangladeshis as a great friend in their days of grim struggle to establish their rights of self-determination.
The United States dominated the world in the last century as the strongest power on earth, both militarily and economically. But that domination was tempered by the lofty values of democracy, self determination, liberty, free trade, etc., that the US tried to promote worldwide and practiced considerably. This is not to say that there was any dearth of unjustified uses of US power and influence that invited criticisms of ugly Americanism or imperialism. But the profile of America as a positive force on the whole for the good of mankind endured till George W. Bush took over the reins of the US administration. Ted Kennedy, true to the heritage of US liberalism, opposed the excesses of the Bush administration. He will always be remembered by his compatriots and liberal people worldwide for his outstanding contribution to upholding the bright face of the USA before the world's gaze.