President Obama’s speech on Thursday at the State Department is neither groundbreaking nor surprising. Despite the rhetoric from both Secretary of State Clinton who spoke briefly before the President about a “bold new approach” in US foreign policy, and Obama himself who bespeaks a “new chapter in American diplomacy”, the realities on the ground tell a different story. The speech was an eloquent, but not substantive, 45-minute charade about an America that is trying to portray itself as a friend of the people of the Middle East. The truth of the matter is no one can cover up the history of America’s alliances with the dictators who are enemies of their own people and this relationship still defines much of US foreign policy in the region albeit with Mubarak and Ben Ali out of commission. The US needn’t worry on this front; they have plenty of other Arab dictators who are still keeping them company. [More...]
3 comments:
Great article, and I agree with every word!
It is disappointing that Obama doesn't even mention anything to stop cruel regimes from maltreating their own people. His speech is still very much favorable for Saudi Arabia and other countries where US has vested interests. I can't quite believe what Obama said.
"America doesn’t always get it wrong, and sometimes they do act decisively to end evil regimes..."
You must be talking about George W. Bush, though you are apparently unwilling to give the man his due. You won't mention his name.
Bush set the stage for much of the current turmoil by knocking over Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, opportunities for wider spread reforms were missed as political opposition to Bush, most vehemently from the media, made further action impossible. The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon? The Libyan dictator's abandonment of his nuclear ambitions? Missed opportunities.
Obama represents the opposition to everything Bush, including political reform in the Middle East. From the outset of his presidency his goal has been the withdrawal of America from Iraq and Afghanistan. It doesn't seem to be working out all that well, particularly for the people who live their.
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