Posts Tagged ‘Middle East’
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.
When we at USDemocrazy think of summer, sun and sand, we are thinking VACATION! But then again we aren’t the President of the United States.
On Thursday, President Obama will seek to reach out to the Muslim world in a speech he will give in sunny, sandy Cairo, Egypt. We here at USDemocrazy are on the job (not on vacation), once again bringing to you the most poignant points and demonstrative discourse that we can find! Here we go…
Given the topic, we thought it might be interesting to see what Aljazeera.net the arab news and information site was saying about the visit. Senior Washington Correspondent Bob Reynolds states that
Obama is likely to declare peaceful intentions again in Cairo, analysts say, despite his escalation of the war in Afghanistan, continued drone strikes against al-Qaeda in Pakistan and growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Analysists from every source are saying that this is going to be no walk in the park. Anthony Shadid at the Washington Post points out that
When President Obama delivers his address to the Middle East on Thursday from Cairo, he will face the legacy of names like Haditha, Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib
Margaret Coker and Ashraf Khalil at the Wallstreet Journal says Obama will have to tackle the “skeptics” head-on.
A challenge will be bridging the gaps with a large segment of the Muslim population that respects Mr. Obama’s Muslim roots and American values such as free speech and rule of law, but sees U.S. foreign policy as rewarding undemocratic regimes.
Thomas Friedman at the New York Times sees some real promise in the President’s speech on Thursday. The way Friedman sees it…
When young Arabs and Muslims see an American president who looks like them, has a name like theirs, has Muslims in his family and comes into their world and speaks the truth, it will be empowering and disturbing at the same time.
But Reza Aslan at the Daily Beast sees things very differently. Aslan says that Obama “blew it by picking Cairo” as his setting for his historic speech.
By choosing Cairo as the backdrop to his speech, Obama has in effect rewarded Egypt’s president for life, Hosni Mubarak, for his bloody, blatantly anti-democratic, and dictatorial rule.
So there’s the rundown. We’ve heard from the experts, but now we want to here from you!
Courtesy of The Global Education Project
We at USDemocrazy have decided that we’re OK with not being a great world power. After all, it sounds like a lot of work.
Take the US, who has been dealing with its status as a world superpower for a while now. As the big dog in the neighborhood, the US is policing conflicts big and small around the globe (with mixed success).
There is no bigger, messier, more dogged dogfight than that between the Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.
On Monday President Obama joined the fray. The White House hosted Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to discuss the future of the Holy Land.
Though Prime Minister Netanyahu told the President he is ready for peace talks with neighboring Palestine, the Israeli leader also included some “My way or the Highway” conditions to any negotiations.
Indeed, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat expressed how he saw any talks between the two states to be doomed from the start when he stated:
There is a difference between being a tough negotiator and a non-negotiator. What I heard today was a non-negotiator.
So… how does a superpower handle such a super problem?
Solutions to this conflict have eluded every US President thus far. But Obama seems determined to engage and pursue a peace settlement between the two antagonists.
Some people, like the guys and gals over at Time, wonder if there are just some fundamental issues that neither Obama nor Netanyahu will find much common ground on.
Such a complex issue requires some answers from some of the smart people in the biz… and so we’re gonna have to turn you elsewhere. Start here for a quick history on US diplomacy when dealing with Israel, then go here for a cut-and-dry explanation of the Gaza conflict and its recent ceasefires.
While we continue to be glad no one values our opinion high enough to be in on these negotiations, we’re searching for your opinions on the subject! Can the young administrations of all parties find a way out of this mess?
Courtesy of the Huffington Post
Blago misses out on Costa Rican adventure… It’s OK Blago, we know you’re a star.
Does space have space for us? With two new planets, maybe!
Let’s try this again, shall we? The Middle East comes to the White House.
