Monday, January 26, 2009
Obama Working Towards Peace in the Middle East
Today, Obama had his first formal interview since becoming president with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network. In the interview, he addressed the on-going conflict in the Middle East and how he plans to approach the situation. Throughout the interview, he stayed generally neutral and used a considerate tone. He stated that he wanted to show Muslims that "America is not your enemy", but also said that Israel will always be a major American ally and that their security is "paramount". However, the most important thing that I felt Obama said was that the U.S. needs to listen first, which is what he told his envoy, George Mitchell, to do when he travels to the Middle East. Listening first will allow us to understand both sides of the conflict. And by understanding both sides, it is easier to reach an agreement. Hopefully, Obama's philosophy of listening rather than dictating will help progress towards compromise and peace in the Middle East.
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All I would say is don't count on a miracle. Obama may know his stuff, but achieving peace in the Middle East has been attempted by virtually every president since WWII ended, and to no lasting success. I will be pleasantly surprised if the situation in the Middle East is any better by the end of Obama's tenure in office than it is now.
Nevertheless, I would agree that it is good for Obama to be taking more of a negotiators' approach towards the Middle East situation. He may still want to keep American interests in mind (as has every other president), but it is their homeland, not ours, so we need to make sure that any kind of compromise that is reached is settled by them, not by us.
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