Restoring Amercia's credibility

President Obama’s speech in Cairo last Thursday was a major event. Many around the world, particularly Muslims, hoped that he would steer US foreign policy in a new direction.
Yet, what exactly were they hoping to hear?
Mistrust of the US only intensified during the two terms of MM Bush and Cheney.
The invasion of Iraq, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib infuriated and alienated Muslims and the Arab world, to the extent that it was becoming increasingly difficult for that audience to take seriously any overtures on the part of the US.
Mr. Obama was in the position to at least get a chance to address these issues, and he chose Cairo, in many ways the cultural and intellectual capital of the Arab and Moslem world, because of his unique background.
Son of a Kenyan, Muslim father, brought up partly in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, community organizer in Chicago ghettos, he was well versed in discrimination and humiliation.
This granted him sufficient credibility to be taken seriously by his audience.
In addition, his election was interpreted, not only in the Middle East but elsewhere as well, at least in part, as a repudiation of the Bush-Cheney militaristic, unilateralist world view.
He embodied a new start, with a capacity to listen, learn and consider the point of view of others.
Not surprisingly, therefore, he invited critics of the Egyptian government, such as the dissident Ayman Nour, recently released from prison, and who ran against current President Mubarak in 2005, and members of Parliament belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic party tolerated by the government.
Ibrahim Kalin, a Turkish scholar and adviser to the prime minister told Anthony Shadid of the Washington Post: you have never seen a president who has raised expectations so high in the Arab and Muslim world, for the good. People see in him something they would like to see in their own leaders, and that, in itself, creates huge expectations.
Obama thus had a genuine opportunity to chart a new course, but such huge expectations could also easily lead to bitter disappointment if his message did not sufficiently resonate with his audience, and failed to address their major concerns.
What are they?
There is a great thirst for justice in that part of the world .
That is why the withdrawal from Iraq, the banning of torture and the closing of Guantanamo are so important, and will no doubt help bolster Obama’s credibility.
Secondly, many want America to help them overcome poverty and economic deprivation. This is a key element in any policy to combat terrorism, a term Obama did not employ, due to the excessive and reckless use made of the word by the previous administration.
Youths with no prospect are an inviting target for al-Qadae recruiters.
As a former prime minister of Yemen, Abdulkareem al-Eryani put it, eradicating poverty could one day help him, to paraphrase George W. Bush, avoid firing a $100,000 missile at a $700 tent.
Thirdly, the democracy activists in the region need America’s help, for no state in the area, with the exception of Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, is much interested in preserving and promoting human and civil rights. In this domain, one speech will not suffice. Concrete support is anxiously awaited. It would be good if Mr. Obama vowed to support democracy and human rights. But he should talk about these ideals only if he is willing to help us fulfill them, Abduljalil Alsingace, a professor at the University of Bahrain, wrote in the NYT.
For his part, Ayman Nour said: we don’t expect Mr. Obama to bring progress to Egypt. But we expect him to demand freedom for all and to restate his conviction that oppressive regimes march on the wrong side of history.
Fourthly, America must not only support freedom and democracy, but respect the results of elections that are conducted fairly and openly, even if its local favorite does not win.
In this light, Vice President Biden’s recent visit to Lebanon, in which he held meetings only with leaders of the outgoing pro-western government coalition, and hinted that US aid would be reduced were the opposition coalition led by Hezbollah to win, was not well perceived, to say the least…
A Lebanese journalist wrote in the NYT: to restore America’s credibility in the Muslim world, Mr. Obama should promise that come election time, he will respect the will of voters, even if he does not like the results.
Fifthly, people of the region simply want to live a dignified life, where their beliefs are respected and protected, devoid of fear. As a Saudi blogger put it: we want to live in a place where we can be ourselves.
Unfortunately, that goal is not yet within reach, but many yearn for Obama to help them attain it.
Last but not least, there is the Israeli-Palestinian issue…
How did Obama do?
Was he able to fulfill these expectations?
He clearly stated his intention, at the outset, of seeking a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles - principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
His insistence on the need to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground was significant, and something of a novelty in a speech by an American president.
It was a clear indication that he would not be trying to impose his views on any one, but seek instead to convince.
He also chose to emphasize not what divides and differentiates human beings, but our common humanity, the aspirations that are common to all of us, to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.
Obama was not in Cairo to lecture his audience on the virtues of American democracy, but on what could be accomplished together to improve the lot of everyone in the region
Economic prosperity in the Middle east, as elsewhere, is inextricably linked with globalization. Though it has engendered fears that one’s traditions and identity would be undermined, globalization will not simply disappear. It must be dealt with and taken advantage of, and he stressed the need to invest in the future: but all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century.
As a result, he proposes to expand exchange programs and scholarships, develop trade and business ties with the region, and host a Summit of Entrepreneurship.
He also plans to foster technological development and open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new Science Envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, and grow new crops.
If he follows through on these plans, then these measures will help connect these countries with the rest of the globalized world and reduce poverty.
On the subject of democracy, Obama conceded the fact that, as the Iraqi enterprise demonstrated, one cannot simply impose it on others.
It is for every nation to develop a form of democracy best suited to its traditions and particularities.
He also evinced a most welcome humility: America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.
Every human being, not solely Americans or Europeans, deserve freedom of speech, the right to choose one’s leaders, justice and security. As Obama said: those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.
And he vowed to respect the outcome of any election, on one condition: we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments - provided they govern with respect for all their people.
That is the heart of the matter: respect. Unfortunately, few governments in the region share this preoccupation.
His vision of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was also much awaited.
His very approach may, in fact, be unprecedented, for he said the following:
America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs. We cannot impose peace. But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away. Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state. It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true.
Things that need to be said shall be said, and said plainly. No more secret or tacit understandings between Washington and a party to the conflict. Facts and basic realities will be confronted head on.
Israeli settlements are an impediment to peace. Palestinian violence is not only immoral but useless: violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.
The antagonists need to recognize this, or no progress can be made.
Obama has thus restored Washington’s previous role of honest broker, that had been repudiated by the previous administration, which systematically supported Israeli policies, and only Israeli policies.
This was a major and inspiring speech because it sought to mobilize and unite, to encourage his audience to focus on the future, not the past. It appealed to what is nobler inside all of us, and challenged us to fulfill our potential for progress and justice:
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
It is a challenge worthy of all of us, and it would be a pity not to rise to the occasion.
Can a speech change the world? Probably not, but it can spur people to take action and their destinies in their own hands…
It is a beginning, and it will take sustained effort on Obama’s part to ensure that all the protagonists do not attempt to shirk their responsibilities…
It is a noble enterprise, and we can only wish him well…