President Barack Obama delivered a very powerful and well-written speech to the students of Cairo University in Egypt today. The speech was an offering of an olive branch to the Muslim world, which many in the United States and Europe have seen to be at odds with Western democracy and progress, in an effort to improve the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world which have been heavily strained since the 9-11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama recognized that the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world has a very long history which included violence, mistrust and exploitation, and that no single speech can address and heal all the grievances between the West and the Islamic world, but called for the beginning of the healing process through peaceful dialogue.
President Obama painted a picture of the relationship between Islam and the United States from the very birth of the country, and one that continues to this day. President Obama also mentioned the debts that Western Civilization owes to Islam via advances made in mathematics, science, technology, medicine and philosophy made in the Islamic world. In addition, he stated that both the West and the Islamic world need to eliminate the negative stereotypes that exist between them. While evoking our shared humanity, Obama stated that it is time to confront the issues which cause tension between the United States and the Islamic world inorder for there to be progress.
President Obama talked about a number of issues which are of concern for both the United States and the Islamic world, the first of which being the current War on Terror, or as Obama more delicately stated, the need to confront violent extremism. Obama then restated the commitment of the United States to Afghanistan and Iraq, to withdraw from those nations in the near future, and to invest billions of US tax payer dollars in their development and security. Obama mentioned the need for soft power, investing in nations and developing them economically as opposed to always resorting to military force. Finally, Obama mentioned that his Executive Orders pertaining to Gitmo and Torture, which some claim did nothing to stop torture or rendition done by our foreign minions, and that even though 9-11 was a shock to the United States which temporarily lead the government to stray from its principles, that under the Obama administration the US government is “[t]aking concrete actions to change course.”
Following speaking about the need for the West and Islamic world to address the problems of violent extremism, President Obama masterfully addressed another major source of tension between the West and the Islamic world, the on going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Obama mentioned the struggles for both peoples who have suffered great traumas, the Nazi Holocaust and the dislocation of the Palestinian people and occupation of their lands by Israel, and stated unequivocally that both the Israelis and the Palestinians have legitimate aspirations for national homelands/nation states. Obama also called for the Palestinians to abandon violent actions, stating that violence abolishes all claims for moral authority, and to focus on building instead of destroying. In addition, President Obama called upon Israel to live up to its own obligations to ensure peace by dismantling Jewish settlements in the West Bank and by ensuring that the Palestinians “can live, and work, and develop their society.” Obama also called upon Hamas to abandon violence, and regonize the right of Israel to exist and to abide by previous agreements, while also calling for further participation from the Arab world in the peace process.
President went on to address Iranian nuclear ambitions, and nuclear non-proliferation. In addition, Obama admitted to US involvement in the overthorw of the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953, under a joint CIA/MI6 operation, Operation TPAJAX. I have to give President Obama a tip of the hat for this. President Obama further extended the olive branch to Iran by stating “we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.” Obama continued to state the intentions of the United States to avoid an arms race in the Middle East, and commitment to peaceful nuclear technology.
President Obama then went on to address the United States commitment to furthering democracy abroad and made the following statement which I must say that I completely agree with:
This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.
Following which President Obama went on to address religious freedom, women’s rights and economic oppertunity and development in the Islamic world. President Obama praised the Islamic world for their tradition of allowing non-Muslims to live in peace with Muslims, stating past examples, while calling for the current generation to adopt this tradition, while also calling for more tolerance of Muslims in the West and more Interfaith discussions. President Obama called for equality for women by allowing for women to make their own choices to reach their full potential, while unveiling his intentions to work in Muslim nations to expand literacy, educational and employment opportunities for women and girls. As for economic oppetunity and development, the president stated that difficulties of globalism,but the need for progress and that progress is unavoidable. President Obama states how the US intends to assist the Muslim world in the fields of education, science and technology and economic development while stressing that they will not be easily solved nor solve overnight.
Overall, the speech was excellently written and touched upon a great deal of information. Although I am not fond of Obama, especially not in light of his recent actions betraying his campaign promises, I have to give him credit for this speech and say that I agree with him on a number of points and would not be adverse to the implementation of some of the policies which he stated in the speech. A transcript of the speech can be found here.
