Op Ed

Barack Obama went to the well one more time, and it worked, again.

Obama drew on his heritage and early years to help relate to his international audience. The speech served as a starting point for fixing American relationships with the Islamic world on multiple issues, including democracy, women’s rights and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

An Al-Jazerra story said Obama’s speech, helped undo the harm caused by the Bush Administration.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said it helped undo "the harm done by the Bush administration".
"If Bush had to demonise many Muslims in order to launch the wars he did in the Islamic world, then Obama humanises the Islamic world in order to engage," Bishara said.
However, Bishara said, Obama was not forthcoming enough on a number of issues on US involvement in the Middle East, such as Israel's nuclear arsenal.

Speaking of the Bush regime, the American war in Afghanistan was another hot-button issue addressed by President Obama. He stated that the United States does not want military bases in the Asian country and wants to get the troops out of there, but Obama made sure to not let anyone forget why Americans are in Afghanistan.

“Let us be clear: al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody.
They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with."

While I think it is important to not forget how we all felt on the day the United States was attacked, the search for Osama Bin-Laden has been going on for nearly a decade and has turned up zilch. It feels almost as if karma is at play, considering how the US armed and trained the poor people in Afghanistan in the 1980’s to fight the Russians, and now they are using our weapons and know-how against our troops (thanks a lot, Charlie Wilson). Obama knows it is time to get out of there, but it has to be handled the right way.

The elephant in the room any time Obama speaks is Iran, and the Cairo speech was no different. Obama’s comments on Iran were a breath of fresh air compared to the fire-and-brimstone approach taken by past leaders of state when dealing with Iran (thanks in no-small part to Jimmy Carter’s speech in the 1970’s) and the hostage crisis that ensued).

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation - including Iran - should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

This statement drew criticism from American conservatives, but those same conservatives seem hell-bent on negotiating with force rather than peaceful methods. Obama makes an excellent point. Why must any nation possess nuclear weapons? If a country can safely operate with nuclear power and not abuse its power to create weapons of mass destruction, then what right does America have to tell that country how to operate?

Granted, Iran is potentially dangerous, but much like in America last fall the young people are going to play a large part in Iran’s elections (which are going on at the moment I am writing this.) A regime change has helped the United States work toward changing its ways, perhaps that is what Iran needs.

It’s hard to judge the effectiveness of a speech like the one Obama gave so shortly after its delivery. Obama certainly had some good ideas and said the right things to start mending America’s relationship with the Islamic world, but history will be the final indicator as to if this was a building block or a catalyst for something different.