/>Four years into his presidency, and several months from an election, President Barack Obama is the matador in the political arena and the press is the raging bull. Promises made and unfulfilled provoke criticism of the man who rose from being a child of a dysfunctional marriage to become the Commander-in-Chief of a troubled nation.
Most prominent of failed intentions is neglect to a proposal that he presented to the Middle East peoples. Immediately after inauguration, the new President Obama lit up the Arab world with a beacon of hope and a promise to change the awkward relationship between the Middle East nations and the major western power. Hope and change arrived in the Arab world, but not due to U.S. foreign policies, which caused the Middle East populations to lose hope in and change opinions of the American president. A wave of popularity after Obama's 2009 speech in Cairo , Egypt -' a new beginning between America and the Arab word -' deteriorated into "a sharp decline in support of President Obama 's policies in the Middle East . A poll, which was conducted by the Arab American Institute in six Middle Eastern countries, shows Obama's ratings at 10% or less, and reflects negative sentiments toward American policies in the region." (Haaretz, July 13, 2011 )
The progressive media's harsh criticisms of U.S. Middle East policies reflect the Arab street condemnation of President Obama's failure to face and resolve the challenges that confront the Muslim and western world. A representative of the progressive media, Fawaz Gerges, Chair, Middle Eastern Centre, London School of Economics summarized his opinions in a book Obama and The Middle East: The End of America's Moment, published by Palgrave Macmillan , and in discussions at Washington , DC Think Tanks and radio interviews. With due regard to Fawaz Gerges erudite academics, critics of President Obama's retreat from "yes, we can do," have not considered that the African-American leader's ascent to the presidency contained a Faustian pact -- constraint due to a debt to those who promoted his victory.
Examination of Gerges criticisms serves as an example of dissection of the outpouring of debates on Obama's non-transitional first four years, reveals a deficiency in realizing Obama's inner dilemmas. Fawaz Gerges conclusions in his words and paraphrased in brackets:
(1) Barack Obama is deeply entrenched within the dominant narrative on American foreign policy. He's a realist. [ U.S. favoritism for Israel has been framed for decades and is entrenched in the American psyche.] He has not been able to deliver because the American political system, what I call the dysfunctional America political system, a system that basically is a combination of special interest groups and, of course, the role of the Congress.
(2) He was unwilling to invest real political capital in order to basically bring about a Palestinian/Israeli settlement. Barack Obama, at the end of the day, is timid. Barack Obama governs by consensus and when he faces obstacles, unfortunately, he often retreats. And he retreated on the Palestinian/Israeli peace process.
(3) [By removing U.S. troops from Iran and Afghanistan, the president shifted the debate from control of Middle East peoples to recognizing their human rights and dignity. At the same time, he indicated that the foreign affairs agenda would lower involvement in the Middle East.]
(4) [Obama is shifting priorities from the Middle East to East Asia. He foresees the latter as the principle focus for U/S. foreign policy.]
Are there alternative arguments to explain President Obama's controversial Middle East policy other than "a retreat from obstacles?" Is Obama just another politician concerned about re-election? Partially true. Nevertheless, Obama's principal concerns are the preservation of his legacy and commitment to the African-American minority.
As the first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama framed his legacy -' unique and incomparable -' and he cannot permit it to be tarnished. Preserving that legacy, and preventing a backlash of accusations that African-Americans pursue policies that have little support from the American people and its Congress drives Obama to consensus. In order not to endanger national aspirations of future African-American politicians, a carefully watched and carefully scrutinized president cannot battle for losing causes. Psychologically tied to the Middle East status quo, he is a victim of what Gerges describes as " the dysfunctional America political system, a system that basically is a combination of special interest groups and, of course, the role of the Congress."
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Dan Lieberman is the editor of Alternative Insight, a monthly web based newsletter. His website articles have been read in more than 150 nations, while articles written for other websites have appeared in online journals throughout the world(B 92, (
more...)
