6/04/09

Before 3,000 people in Cairo, in a widely anticipated speech, President Obama sought to dispel misperceptions and stereotypes and to turn the page on decades of misunderstanding and discord between the United States and Muslim-majority countries. Over the last eight years these tensions have worsened and the opinion of the United States plummeted in the region, due to issues such as the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the use of torture, and the war in Iraq. As the President seeks to renew America’s engagement in the Middle East peace process and begins talking to Iran, improving America’s standing in the region is critical to our national security.  Obama matched this public diplomacy initiative with a comprehensive seven-point agenda of policies his Administration plans to pursue or has already taken on, touching on the region’s toughest strategic, social and economic challenges.  Yet conservatives vigorously attacked the President’s speech – even before it was delivered – with Mitt Romney saying that Obama was on a “tour of apology” that would only serve to weaken America. Their caricature missed the mark of Obama’s 50-minute speech (see the myth vs. reality section below).  Obama did not apologize to anyone and he did not skirt the tough issues. Instead he confirmed America’s support for Israel and democracy and human rights, and emphasized the need for current American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and continued vigilance against terrorism. It is great for conservatives to hail America as “the hope of the earth,” but you can’t be the world’s greatest hope if you don’t talk to the world – especially where distrust is deepest.

Speaking in the cultural heart of Islamic civilization, President Obama laid out his vision for a new relationship between the U.S. and the world’s Muslims.  In the opening of his speech, the President remarked: “I have come here 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.” At the same time, Obama recognized the daunting challenges that stand in the way of achieving such a goal, challenges that will not be surmounted by pure rhetoric: “I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.”  He added that “recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.” [President Obama, 6/04/09]

Obama outlines a challenging agenda designed to turn the page on years of failed policies.  President Obama observed: “We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.”  The President laid out a seven-point agenda:  combating violent extremism, moving forward on Middle East peace, halting the spread of nuclear weapons, democracy and human rights, religious tolerance, women’s rights, and economic opportunity.  On several issues, President Obama also drew an implicit but sharp distinction between himself and his predecessor, President Bush.  He called on the U.S. and the world’s Muslims to confront jointly “violent extremism in all of its forms,” while at the same time reiterating “that America is not - and never will be - at war with Islam,” closing the book on the Bush administration’s “crusade” narrative, which alienated potential allies and failed to keep America safe.  In recognition that a peaceful solution to the Arab – Israeli conflict is critical for strengthening the foundations of “mutual trust and mutual respect,” Obama called on both Arabs and Israelis to live up to their obligations.  His commitment to “to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience that the task requires,” contrasted sharply with President Bush’s engagement, which was largely episodic and came too late to move the process forward.  Obama also addressed Iran, which during the Bush years has become a powerful regional player and moved closer toward a nuclear weapon, going from 0 to over 5,000 centrifuges.  The President restated his willingness to move toward a new relationship with the Islamic Republic, but warned that proliferation in the Middle East “could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.”   Finally, President Obama’s speech emphasized the values of democracy and human rights, values tainted by the Bush administration’s insubstantial and inconsistent support.  The President asserted that while “no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other... all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.” [President Obama, 6/04/09. President Bush, 9/16/01. NSN Daily Update, 4/22/09. Brookings Institution, 12/08. Mohammed El Baradei via the NY Times, 4/12/09. NSN Bush Legacy Project, 1/09/09]

Conservatives’ propagated myths about Obama’s speech before it was even delivered – his speech dispelled these attacks:

• Myth 1: This is an “apology tour.”  

Reality: In his speech, the President did not apologize at all, instead he confirmed America’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Spencer Ackerman, journalist for the Washington Independent, points out that the president did not apologize, even for some of the worst offenses to the Muslim world in recent years.  He writes, “Obama on Iraq, one of the two biggest apology-opportunities: ‘America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future – and to leave Iraq to Iraqis.’ Obama on systematic U.S. torture, the other one: ‘I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.’ Not a word of apology. On Afghanistan, he said "despite the costs involved, America’s commitment will not weaken. Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists.’” [Spencer Ackerman, 6/4/09]

• Myth 2: Obama’s speech makes America look weak.  

Reality: In his speech, the President sought to correct misperceptions and false stereotypes of America.  The president said, “Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words – within our borders, and around the world. We are shaped by every culture, drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept: E pluribus unum: ‘Out of many, one.’” [Barack Obama, 6/4/09]

• Myth 3: Obama is all style and no substance and he will avoid the hard issues.

Reality: Obama addressed some of the most contentious issues surrounding the Muslim world’s relationship with America.  Not shying away from controversial or unpopular subjects, the president discussed Holocaust denial in the Muslim world saying, “America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust.” The president also addressed the 9/11 attacks, saying, “I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody.”  The president even discussed America’s Cold War politics in the region, and support of nondemocratic regimes, saying, “In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically-elected Iranian government.” [Barack Obama, 6/4/09]

• Myth 4: The choice of Egypt for the speech undermines democracy and human rights.

Reality: Obama spoke directly to Muslims on the subject of democracy, receiving huge applause.  One point in the speech that President Obama received an unexpected applause from the crowd was when he changed subjects to the issue of democracy in the Muslim world. He said, “The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.” The President also made an important point, often ignored by the Bush administration, that democracy is more than just elections.  He said, “I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.”  In addition, President Obama also made a point of speaking directly to the Muslim people.  As the New York Times reports, “His visit was being broadcast live on state-run television, which officials at the United States Embassy here said they pushed for so Mr. Obama’s message could reach a far wider audience than the 3,000 invited guests who gathered in the Major Reception Hall at Cairo University.” The president went on to say that, “governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away” [Barack Obama, 6/4/09. NY Times, 5/4/09]

• Myth 5: Obama’s outreach efforts undermine our relationship with Israel.

Reality: Obama staunchly defended Israel’s right to exist, as well as emphasized the legacy of the Holocaust.  The Wall Street Journal writes,  “He also offered a staunch defense of U.S. support for Israel, mentioning the Holocaust and his planned visit Friday to a concentration camp in Germany. ‘America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied,’ he said.”  In addition, the president met last week with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and yesterday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. [WSJ, 6/4/09]

• Myth 6: Obama’s speech empowers Tehran. Mitt Romney said at Heritage: “I think the president was wrong in going on Arabic TV and saying that America has in the past dictated to other nations. I think he was wrong in fact and that it was the wrong thing to say. Ahmadinejad of Iran seized upon that to demand more apologies for America...”

Reality: The president made a clear and bold point, that a nuclear armed Iran is a danger to America and the world.  “But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point. This is not simply about America's interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.” [Barack Obama, 6/4/09]

What We’re Reading

President Barack Obama gave a well-received speech in Cairo on the Middle East and the U.S. relationship with the Muslim world.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and challenger Mir Hussein Moussavi held a live public debate yesterday evening.  Moussavi accused Ahmadinejad of running a dictatorship and ruining Iran’s national image, and Ahmadinejad accused Moussavi of conspiring against him with former Iranian leaders and made personal attacks on his wife.

On the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests, China locked down the square, blocked information access, and expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with Secretary of State Clinton’s comments on the anniversary.

Residents of Florence, CO, where the Federal Supermax facility holding several convicted terrorists is located, would welcome new prisoners transferred from Guantanamo Bay.

North Korea will put the two captured American journalists on trial, where they will face the possibility of 10 years in a labor camp.  It permitted one of the journalists to call her sister.

The Organization of American States conditionally lifted Cuba’s suspension.

An E.U. official said that European nations will take several dozen Guantanamo detainees.

U.S. jobless claims fell for the first time in 20 weeks.

Special envoy Richard Holbrooke visited Pakistani refugees and the Obama administration pushed for more aid.

Commentary of the Day

Former student leader Wang Dan and reporters Nicholas Kristof and Claudia Rosett recall the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests 20 years ago, and look at where China is today.

The New York Times responds to the OAS’ lifting of Cuba’s suspension.

Shimon Peres says that the time is ripe to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, asserting that the key is to “renew bilateral negotiations with the Palestinians, supported by clear economic and environmental incentives.”