By Jaya Spier
After months of waiting, breath held tight and hearts pounding with hope, the American people can finally say that the reign of Bush is over and a new era has begun. The United States has made history with its first African American president and the man who made the simple words of “yes we can” into a mantra for the new generation.
The next four years promise to be fairly interesting if the first week after President Obama was sworn in, is any indication. With Guantanamo on the way out and the Middle East as number two (the economy at one) on the agenda it looks like we’re not pausing on this one but instead pushing full steam ahead.
Since the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza, the Israeli-Palestine conflict has become a top priority on the 2009 US program. Obama has appointed George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East. Talks with Egypt have produced an almost invisible ceasefire.
This moment in time could be a real turning point for the relationship between the United States and the Middle Eastern region. Thus far Hamas has stated that Obama will continue the Bush legacy and Israel believes that under the new administration Hamas will continue to be seen as a terrorist organization. Along with soft threats concerning our stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict coming from other members of the “Muslim world” the situation seems to have pushed America into a corner. However, if Obama can gain some sort of higher ground here “we may hear language that has not been heard for a long time – strongly supportive of Israel's security concerns, but also empathetic to the Palestinians and their needs."(Telegraph) If America can find a way to satisfy its allies while showing sympathy for the enemy of a friend then we may once again gain favor within the global community.
Obama promises to ‘extend a hand to those willing to unclench their fists’ but he is contradicted by America’s past. Amnesty International seems to believe Obama’s next four years will finally put human rights to the forefront. If he can’t find some sort of beginning to a solution within the Middle East, he may lose some of the hope he has gained and destroy much of the support he has won.
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Ivelina here – Very interesting blog, Jaya and certainly a topic that is of great importance to the US and also to the whole World. The actions of the US in the Middle East are something we all should take a closer look at.
ReplyDeleteYou can also include some information on Iraq and Obama’s opinion about having US military forces there. Are there any alternatives to this? Here is a good link related to your topic http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4886
In the end of your blog you also comment on what would be the consequences if Obama can’t find “some sort of beginning to a solution within the Middle East”. In my opinion, this ending of the blog makes the reader really think about Obama’s role in the Middle East problem and his future political image if he can’t find a proper solution.
Good job!
Ioana here - I really enjoyed reading your article. You are right that Obama brings a wave of optimism that a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict might finally be achieved. Unlike his predecessor, he has been making efforts to heed both sides and to mediate the conflict from as neutral a stance as possible. The fact that his first interview as president was given to Al-Arabiya is also indicative of the fact that he is determined to improve dialogue with the region. Beyond the prospect of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, the hope of putting an end to the antagonism between the “Muslim world” and the U.S. is very exciting. Thanks for the very interesting topic and approach!
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