For Barack Obama: his second inauguration

Publication Instance Details #75

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
No	No	No	No	No	Yes

Details

Human Rights Issues	War HR & Colonisation/Colonial Legacies Indigenous Rights (incl. culture & language) Torture Terrorism/War on Terror HR & Environment Death Penalty/Unlawful Detention/Incarceration State Violence
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Somali Civil War War: Global War on Terrorism War: War in Afghanistan Genocide: Genocide of indigenous people in USA (pre 20th century)
Languages	English
Genre	Spoken word
Medium	Web
Notes	This poem refers to a number of international conflicts and human rights violations, including the fate of the Native American peoples, the Somalian Civil War, war in Afghanistan, War on Terror, internment without trial, 'enhanced interrogation', and the Guantanamo Bay camp. There is an explicit reference to Vladimir Putin and state violence. It expresses a sense of disillusionment regarding President Obama's actions during his first term (2008-2012), but also urges him to find the courage to resist the political establishment's taste for similar actions in the future. There is a recognition that democracy in the USA is under pressure and a questioning of the narrative that the USA is the global defender of democracy.