Without bias, we at USDemocrazy would love peace in the Middle East.
But with deeply entrenched animousities forged by religious and ethnic divides stretching back centuries we are pretty certain that this lofty goal won’t be a achieved by Labor Day (or any other day soon).
Thankfully, Barack Obama is not daunted by this challenge. Yesterday, in a hopeful first step toward achieving peace he delivered a monumental speech at one of Egypt’s premier universities in Cairo.
Before the speech, Obama stopped in Saudi Arabian to chat with King Abdullah bin Abdul. We assume he got some pointers from The Saudi monarch on how to make the speech better (If you are planning to address 1.2 million Muslims around the world it is wise to give your speech the Royal treatment)
The speech, about an hour long, talked about such things as “embracing democracy, women’s rights, religious tolerance and the right of Israel to coexist with an independent Palestinian state (Washington Post).
In his far ranging address he did manage to congratulate the United States for some things (over 1,200 mosques and the right to practice one’s own religion). But, in an implicit criticism of the previous American policies, he made is clear that “no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other.” (I think he means you, George W Bush)
Among the the copious reactions to Obama’s speech were responses from Osama bin Ladin and his political partner Ayman al-Zawahiri. In a recorded message released after his arrival, bin Ladin “sharply criticizing U.S. policy in Pakistan and accusing Obama of planting seeds for “revenge and hatred” in the Muslim world.”
Strong words from a man that no one has seen in years.
President Obama knew his plea for a new start in the relationship between America and the Muslim world would be a tough sell. The US is currently at war in two Muslim counties Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to cous cous, the President has a lot on his plate. Still, Obama seems optimistic about the new relations to come. Now it is the test of time that will show us whether or not his efforts are going to pay off by Labor Day… or any other day soon.
