The euphoria has not yet passed over the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States (US).

But, for the president-elect, there is not much time to celebrate. He has the complex task of putting together a government to take over the running of the world's most powerful country in less than three months' time. Mr Obama has begun that job.

What is not clear to us is that Jamaica, at any level, is so prepared. Indeed, we are not encouraged by the statements from the private sector, published in yesterday's edition of this newspaper. Nor do we sense that our Government has as yet done the work to shape its expectations and priorities for relations with the United States under an Obama presidency.

What we sense in Jamaica, broadly, is gut and emotion, which is understandable only to a point; that point before realpolitik and national interest.

Of course, this newspaper, like most Jamaicans, and much of the rest of the world, welcomes Obama's election and look forward to his presidency, on two important grounds.

Vulgar assertion

First, there is a deep sense of pride of an African American being chosen to lead the United States. It is another signal that America is moving past old prejudices and continuing on the path of healing and the inclusiveness promised by its great constitution, 145 years after slavery.

Then, we anticipate the end of the hubris of the Bush presidency, with his vulgar assertion of the supremacy of US power and the squandering of what used to be America's most powerful asset - the assumption that its core was moral. Just by its approach and demeanour, Obama will rekindle faith in America. But, as we have argued in these columns before, Obama will be the president of the United States of America, concerned, primarily, with US interests.

During his campaign, for instance, he often railed against US companies that moved jobs off-shore and has promised tax breaks to firms that invest in job creation at home. Such a policy could potentially have negative consequences for a country like Jamaica which, with limited domestic capital formation, depends on foreign direct investment for much of its expansion and growth.

Global trade

Obama has raised concern about trade deals, like the North American Free Trade Areas, which American trade unions, to which his party is close, complain shift jobs offshore. This raises questions about how an Obama presidency, especially with the control of the Democrats of both houses of Congress, will respond to an initiative like the Caribbean Basin Recovery Act or some of the special provisions being demanded by developing countries at the global trade talks.

We would have expected that organisations like the manufacturers and exporters, the Chamber of Commerce and the umbrella private sector body to have developed position documents on these and other eventualities, regardless of who won the White House.

These, we assume, would have helped to inform our government's analyses of future relationship with the United States, whoever emerged as president.

Moreover, given Jamaica's lead role in the Caribbean Community for external relations, it is expected that Kingston would have modelled an outline response to an Obama presidency. Hopefully, the work has been done and we just don't know.

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