U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his long-awaited address to the Muslim world June 4 at Cairo University in Egypt.
Known as a highly skilled orator, Obama maintained a calm yet forceful tone as he wove through the various minefields of the Middle East. The U.S. president delivered equal doses of praise and criticism for U.S. friends and rivals in the region and was occasionally quite blunt in addressing some of the more divisive issues of the day, including the notion of democracy in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and past grievances with Iran. Still, as even Obama acknowledged outright, speeches do not automatically translate into substantive policy shifts.
Obama began the speech with a discussion on Islam’s contributions throughout history and the importance of mutual understanding and respect between the United States and the Muslim world. He made sure to relate his personal experience with the religion growing up in Kenya — a strong selling point for many Muslims worldwide who feel they can identify with the president on some level. He then addressed some of the more common conspiracy theories and stereotypes that permeate the Muslim world, saying that the idea of al Qaeda carrying out the 9/11 attacks is not something to be debated but “facts to be dealt with.”
On the war in Afghanistan, Obama sought to dispel the image of the United States as an imperialist power by clearly stating that Washington has no interest in keeping troops or military bases in Afghanistan. On the war in Iraq, Obama set himself apart from his predecessor by warning against U.S. abuses of power and advocating the need for an “international diplomatic consensus” in waging wars of choice. He also reiterated that the United States would honor its agreements to remove all troops from Iraq by 2012. Though Obama said the United States does not pursue bases, claims of territory or resources, there is a standing U.S. strategy to maintain assets in Iraq — even if they are not officially called “combat troops” — for the longer term as a counterweight to Iran. Later in the speech, Obama also attempted to dispel the widespread belief among Muslims that the United States is only interested in the Middle East for oil and natural gas when he praised broader economic development programs to develop Middle Eastern industry outside the energy sector.
Looking to placate the Israelis, Obama then launched into a defense of the Jewish state. He reaffirmed U.S.-Israeli ties and had strong words for the Iranian regime, stating that a denial of an historical fact like the Holocaust or threatening Israel with destruction was “baseless, ignorant and hateful.” Obama then quickly counterbalanced his comments on Israel by recognizing the plight of the Palestinians. He stressed the need for groups like Hamas to renounce violence, but also said that Palestine’s right to exist is just as legitimate as Israel’s demand for Hamas, Iran and others to recognize its own existence.
