Farooq Mitha is an international policy specialist and is currently a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan. He holds degrees from the University of Florida and the University of South Florida and has been published in domestic and international publications.
Nearly one month ago, President Barack Obama gave a historic speech in Cairo to the Arab and Muslim worlds. I was privileged to be able to travel across the Middle East after the speech to get a real sense as to how the Arab public feels about President Obama and his vision of U.S. relations with the Arab world. What I learned is that the road to better relations is long and that President Obama’s speech was only the first step in what requires sustained efforts on both sides to improve our relationship with the Muslim world.
One common theme I heard across the region was the dramatic change in tone coming from Washington. President Obama is well liked and is perceived as somebody who genuinely wants to find common ground with the Muslim world in a way that can be mutually beneficial. His actions of signing the order to close Guantanamo Bay, giving his first interview as President to an Arab network and keeping his promise to deliver an address to the Muslim world showed that he is willing to tackle the complicated issues in the region.
In addition, there is a sense that President Obama understands the Arab and Muslim worlds far better than his predecessor. In his Cairo address, President Obama used all the right words and terminology. The President quoted from the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred text, and also quoted traditions from Prophet Muhammad while using the phrase “Peace be upon him” after saying his name. These gestures go a long way in the Muslim world.
The next steps the administration must take will be challenging. The appointment of Farah Pandith as Special Representative to Muslim Communities by the State Department is a good start. However, the Muslim world is by no means monolithic and the Arab world is currently very pessimistic about the prospects for change in the region’s political climate.
The key political issues in the Middle East that create the largest divide between the Arab world and the United States are clearly the war in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab world is supportive of President Obama’s phased troop withdrawal from Iraq, but is unconvinced that the United States will turn over full sovereignty of the country to the Iraqis.
Further, the Arab street is more cynical about the prospects for a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While President Obama’s initial steps such as his call to the Israelis to stop settlement growth have been well received, people are really waiting to see tangible changes to the situation on the ground. The public has genuinely lost hope in a process that it says has seen many summits and accords, but no positive change in the realities of everyday life.
People in the region are increasingly apathetic to politics in general. Most are indifferent to processes they see leading nowhere and to political systems they have no power to change. Others cite the Palestinian elections of 2006 as evidence that their voices will always be drowned out by what the international community seeks to impose on them. While others just too busy struggling to survive and provide for their families, believing the election of President Obama has no impact on their lives.
Moreover, as much as people may like President Obama, they feel that his influence over America’s long term foreign policy agenda will be minimal as he belongs to and is a product of an establishment that does not yield to change easily. There is a sense that the President will not take the bold steps required to significantly improve relations because if he did he would not get re-elected for another term.
While these signs don’t seem very encouraging there is potential to break major ground with the Muslim world. President Obama must keep pushing his agenda to end the war in Iraq for the creation of a Palestinian state. Additionally, the administration should work on other issues in the region, which the President addressed in his speech, such as women’s rights, the development of civil society and poverty.
President Obama has a significant amount of political capital to spend in the region. While the Arab and Muslim worlds are plagued with pessimism, some are cautiously optimistic that we are beginning a new era of relations between Islam and the West. To be successful, the Obama administration will need to undertake a multi-faceted approach, which can address the key political issues in the region in a way that shows people on all sides the practical benefits of peace and better relations between the Muslim world and the United States.