“A New Beginning” – Dialogue Between America and the Muslim World
President Barack Obama’s Cairo Address
Editor’s Note:
This week marks the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo where he sought “to seek 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.”
In the wake of the Cairo address there was a measurable positive reaction in the Arab world for President Obama and the United States.Dr. James Zogby, Arab American Institute President, writing in “Washington Watch” characterized the speech as focused on shared problems, shared misconceptions and shared goals, which “elicited a near euphoric response from most officials and editorial writers across the Arab World.” He added,”The reactions of the Arab public, on the other hand, though positive, were more tempered and nuanced.”
The uptick in positive feelings toward America dissipated as U.S. policy accomplishments in the region did not match the expectations of the Arab audience for Obama’s Cairo remarks. In one of its first tests the Obama Administration placed roadblocks before the “GoldStone Report,” the UN sponsored investigation by South African judge Richard Goldstone into allegations of war crimes committed during Israeli military operations in Gaza in December 2008-January 2009. “This single act greatly damaged America’s image across the Arab world at a time when perceptions were changing for the better,” wrote Middle East Broadcasting correspondent Nadia Bilbassy-Charters in December 2009. That stumble, according to former U.S. Ambassador Chas Freeman was followed by President Obama’s demonstrable lack of progress on Middle East Peace, highlighted by the failure to obtain a freeze on new Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories, “The current confrontation with the Netanyahu government over settlements comes in the context that hopes raised in the Obama Cairo speech have long since evaporated and the United States has no credibility to speak of on this issue.” In an exclusive SUSRIS interview Freeman noted, “President Obama’s speech at Cairo demonstrated conclusively that he understands the centrality of the Israel-Palestine dispute to the difficulties we have in dealing with the Arab world and the Islamic world more generally.. ..it is that dispute which radicalizes Muslim populations
{ 3 comments }
What a difference a year makes!
POSTED ON BEHALF OF “SAMI” WHO EMAILED HIS COMMENT TO THE EDITOR:
Salam. As an American citizen, I am very disappointed with President Obama, he turned out no different from the many coward and chicken presidents we had. All of them become cowards, spineless before Israeli crimes and aggressive behavior always providing Israel with the legal, political and military cover for its continued criminal activities. Israel forced Obama to put his Cairo speech in cold water and drink it.
Next time he talks, it means nothing he lost any and all credibility.
Sami
POSTED ON BEHALF OF “DALE” WHO EMAILED HIS COMMENT TO THE EDITOR:
Obama has been, as usual, all words and little action. This is now a pattern. Tooo bad.
Dale