Big change expected if Obama elected

Dubai: A Democrat in the Oval Office will bring major changes in domestic and foreign policy, said a representative of the American Democratic Party via a video conference from Denver to an audience in Dubai.

"There will be a re-evaluation of the Department of Homeland Security," said Jerry Hagstrom, political analyst and representative of the Democratic Party, referring to the body that was created in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Hagstrom was speaking via the video conference to journalists at the Dubai School of Government. The event was organised in coordination with the Dubai Press Club and the American Embassy in Abu Dhabi in the presence of the American Consul-General in Dubai, Paul Sutphin.

"There is a lot of concern in the United States about difficulties foreigners, particularly foreign students, are facing in the country," he said. "Obama has emphasised time and again that we need to work with other countries."

Asked about whether more shows of support for Israel can be expected from Barack Obama and running mate Joseph Biden, Hagstrom noted that Obama was competing for both the Jewish and Arab American votes.

"[Obama's policy] would appeal to the economic interests of [Arab Americans]... as well as domestic issues," he said without elaborating further.

He indicated however that the party's line is going to capitalise on disgruntlement with the policies of George Bush, noting that a Republican president would bring "more of Bush."

He stressed that there will be a visible change in American foreign policy under Obama despite the similar positions both have taken on some Middle Eastern issues.

"It's much harder to make changes in office than it is to [promise] in campaigns," he said.

Hagstrom acknowledged that Obama's pick for vice-president had to do with the lack of readiness on the part of the electorate for a president and vice-president "who are not white males," adding that it would be a radical step considering the country's history of having only white males as presidents.

"It goes a little beyond just not picking a woman [though]. Obama felt he would need a more experienced person," he said.

He added that recent trends in voting show a gradual move to the left in American politics, referring to Republicans adopting more liberal positions on social issues.