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Last update - 00:00 05/11/2008
Arab commentators want to be able to admire America again
By Zvi Bar'el
Tags: Barack Obama, Arabs 

"The hope that Barack Obama's mere candidacy for office in the U.S. presidential race will generate a fundamental change for the better in President George Bush's policy in the White House is not a reasonable one," the Saudi publicist Hamad Al-Majid wrote recently, in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily newspaper.

"But if he Obama is elected, then two positive elements will materialize. First, It will put an end to the white man's monopoly on the White House. Additionally, it will create the optimal conditions for adoption of minor adjustments into American foreign policy, so as to make it less arrogant and less impulsive than the one championed by his predecessor."

The expressions of caution against getting carried away with admiration for the "Obama wonder" contain the elements of the Arab and Muslim outlook on Bush's policy and on its conservative shapers. The "white man" who presided in the White House is the same man who dragged the region into two major wars against Arabs and Muslims; one in Iraq and he other in Afghanistan. He is the same "white man" who nurtured hatred of Arabs and launched a "crusade" against them.
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And this is why the "support the world gives Obama is a show of support for America the way Obama would like it to be," as Al-Hayat columnist Jamil Matar put it. "An America that will recover the admiration of the nations for its achievements and its superior values, compared to the backward value system proliferating in other parts of the world. "The world [has given its vote] to Obama so that America may shed its arrogance and its violence and its use of terror and torture, and so that it will employ justice in international commerce. It is also the vote of Arabs for an America that will not hate them or the Muslims or Islam, and that will not side with Israel and support its terrorism," Matar went on to write.

Al-Majid, Matar and many other Muslim and Arab commentators who have expressed themselves about the presidential race over the past week have come to view Obama not only as the man who will head the American executive arm, an architect of a new foreign policy or political and economical plans, but a giant who will alter America's essence, as it was molded by Bush.

Obama is seen as a person who will allow Muslims and Arabs to internalize Western ideas rather than reject them only because the person spreading them is a unscrupulous thug.

"The world is not preoccupied with the question of who will be the next U.S. secretary of state," Matar also wrote. "What the world is interested in is having a man who will step into the White House and announce the end of a dark phase in American history, and in the history of the world."

That "dark phase" went on for the eight years in which Bush sat in the White House, which left a deep rift between America and Islam. The fundamental cause for this rift, however, the 9/11 terrorist attack, is hardly ever mentioned in columns in the Arab media. For the Arab commentators, the phase began, rather, with the invasion of Afghanistan, followed by Iraq, and continued with Bush's lackadaisical approach to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The White House itself is not worse or better that it was under Bill Clinton, but it is guilty of one great sin - that of arrogance and condescension. Those words keep recurring in articles by Arab and Muslim thinkers.

That same arrogance is seen by them as the generating force behind the "New Middle East," which aspired to bring democracy and equality to Muslim nations - by force, if necessary - while in fact the U.S. administration supported dictatorial regimes like those in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

Is the ideological change for which the Arab thinkers long capable of changing U.S. foreign policy? That optimistic prediction is hard to come by even in Iraqi and Afghan papers, let alone in Iranian media. The media in the region continue to focus on the number of casualties from terror attacks, furor over U.S. air raids in Afghanistan and the fear in Iraq concerning the strategic agreement between Baghdad and the U.S., which might mean American troops will stay in the country for another three years at least.

In Iraq and Pakistan, everybody knows no new American president, Republican or Democrat, is going to be able to change matters overnight. For the time being, the president-elect can only create a new atmosphere. And that already would be no small feat.
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  1.   Yeah There Are No Arab Racists 05:51  |  Yosemite 05/11/08
  2.   Why was Afghanistan invaded? 05:51  |  judith 05/11/08
  3.   And who will make the Arabs shed THEIR arrogance and violence? 06:24  |  McQueen 05/11/08
  4.   Israel Lost its influence 07:49  |  Faris Zaidan 05/11/08
  5.   Give Obama a chance. 07:53  |  Jane 05/11/08
  6.   Gadhaffi Always Good For A Laugh 07:57  |  Yosemite 05/11/08
  7.   Arabs are more racially prejudiced towards blacks 08:02  |  Joi 05/11/08
  8.   Faris#4 08:47  |  Howard 05/11/08
  9.   #7 Joi 08:51  |  Howard 05/11/08
  10.   Saudi Arabia 08:53  |  Shtarka 05/11/08
  11.   I`m not proud of my last post......to Joi 08:55  |  Howard 05/11/08
  12.   "end of a dark phase in American history" 09:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/11/08
  13.   Faris Zaidan #4, umm you know who Barack`s advisor was? 09:28  |  ELIAS KHOURY 05/11/08
  14.   #13 Elias Khoury 09:48  |  Howard 05/11/08
  15.   There is hope that Obama WILL both talk and listen to Arabs 10:06  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  16.   TWO MAJOR WARS NECESSARY! 10:16  |  Khaled 05/11/08
  17.   #15 ivar of the saudi planet has new master plan 10:16  |  victor hardman 05/11/08
  18.   Ivar #15 10:17  |  Howard 05/11/08
  19.   Howard, 18, meet Victor, 17 who explains it to you 10:37  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  20.   #19, Ivar 10:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/11/08
  21.   #19 ivar resorts to superstitous drivel to confirm 10:49  |  victor hardman 05/11/08
  22.   To No. 19 - Ivar Are You Denying There`s Terror in The World? 11:02  |  Khaled 05/11/08
  23.   Sorry Cipora, but the Crusades, Inquisition etc, was not biblical 11:04  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  24.   Take a good look at yourselves in front of a mirror 11:05  |  chop-chop 05/11/08
  25.   A jew ? 11:21  |  Serge 05/11/08
  26.   Khaled`s popular paranoia led by the Pied Piper of bigotry 11:34  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  27.   #23, Ivar 11:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/11/08
  28.   Serge, your answer is clear: after Israel accepts the Saudi Plan 11:41  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  29.   To Serge #25 11:42  |  El_Justiciero 05/11/08
  30.   to Serge, # 25 11:58  |  kameel 05/11/08
  31.   Serge... 12:07  |  Sameer 05/11/08
  32.   #23 ivar and the treaties which founded the jewish state 12:08  |  victor hardman 05/11/08
  33.   Kameel--the Pals are Arabs and belong with them 12:11  |  Bobby the Jew 05/11/08
  34.   Cipora, your "nonexistent ideal" is alive and well 12:26  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  35.   Aparently the Arab commentators are hoping for a weak America 12:32  |  Yaakov K. 05/11/08
  36.   Victor, 32, Palestinians have a right their religions and land. 12:35  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  37.   IVAR Your answer on where Hamas stands on the Saudi plan- 12:46  |  PETER SM 05/11/08
  38.   Ivar....trick questions dont have answers 12:47  |  Ofer Maimon 05/11/08
  39.   #36 ivar persists in deranged delusion 13:04  |  victor hardman 05/11/08
  40.   Please, please advise us...please 13:07  |  Jay A Friedman 05/11/08
  41.   Offer, 36, learn to roll with the punches, not shatter 13:12  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  42.   Arabs looking for American patsy to force concessions on Israel 13:46  |  Sam 05/11/08
  43.   Victor, my friend, I see the glass half full, you, half empty 13:55  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  44.   Ivar: Your making up history 14:01  |  Brad 05/11/08
  45.   Ivar - What will you say when a Jew becomes US President? 14:04  |  Ben 05/11/08
  46.   Brad, begin at Wikipedia for history I`m not making up 14:41  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  47.   Ben, read my answer welcoming a Jew as Estonian president 14:43  |  Ivar 05/11/08
  48.   Black POP Now 14:50  |  Luai 05/11/08
  49.   #43ivar and lack of real history quotes more drivel 14:57  |  victor hardman 05/11/08
  50.   #25 Serge 15:02  |  Said 05/11/08
  51.   Terror = Islam 15:08  |  Benjamina 05/11/08
  52.   Zionists declared war first! 15:17  |  Said 05/11/08
  53.   world waits for intelligent and tolerant islam 15:25  |  real vision 05/11/08
  54.   Arabs now see how democracy works 16:03  |  Mark B. 05/11/08
  55.   Ofer Maimon response to Ivar 16:43  |  Suzanne 05/11/08
  56.   Said 17:12  |  Brad 05/11/08
  57.   Significant sentence 17:33  |  Motic 05/11/08
  58.   Jane in Florida 17:37  |  Jane not in Florida 05/11/08
  59.   #13 17:37  |  Jane 05/11/08
  60.   shameful and humiliating 17:38  |  real observer 05/11/08
  61.   #30 17:43  |  Jane 05/11/08
  62.   Idiot responses to #19 Ivar 17:57  |  Keith T 05/11/08
  63.   A check of the World Press this morning 18:01  |  Mark Lincoln 05/11/08
  64.   Bush was my hero 18:58  |  Abu Halil 05/11/08
  65.   To Kamel # 30 19:06  |  Abu Halil 05/11/08
  66.   to Said # 52 19:13  |  Abu Yusuf 05/11/08
  67.   the farce of arab democracy 19:16  |  real vision 05/11/08
  68.   #56 Brad & 66 Abu Yusuf 19:29  |  Said 05/11/08
  69.   Wish to admire America again 20:38  |  Alia Curtis 05/11/08
  70.   Arab commentators 20:42  |  Shmendrik Nashashibi 05/11/08
  71.   real vision - you need glasses 20:48  |  Mark Lincoln 05/11/08
  72.   an arab? 20:58  |  Sheri 05/11/08
  73.   americans want to be proud to be american 21:11  |  american 05/11/08
  74.   a bunch of ........................ 21:17  |  Shelly M.D 05/11/08
  75.   71 Mark Lincoln 21:22  |  Jose Marcio 05/11/08
  76.   Pro McCain Propaganda 22:17  |  ARTH 05/11/08
  77.   #62 keith exhibits a wide experience of mid east affairs 22:45  |  v.hardman 05/11/08
  78.   76 ARTH 22:49  |  Jose Marcio 05/11/08
  79.   #15 Ivar and the Estonia and Ukranian crowd 23:28  |  Big Sur 05/11/08
  80.   Serge #25 23:30  |  Big Sur 05/11/08
  81.   #30 Kameel 23:32  |  Big Sur 05/11/08
  82.   humanity 00:06  |  fred michaels 06/11/08
  83.   Call For Fairness in Mid East policy 01:05  |  Gray 06/11/08
  84.   I find this talk frightening 02:22  |  Peretz 06/11/08
  85.   Al-Qaradhawi: The Democrats Are Like a Snake That "Kill[s] You Sl 02:30  |  PETER SM 06/11/08
  86.   No change anticipated 02:40  |  Jess Ghannam 06/11/08
  87.   Lauding "end of white man`s oppression" 03:30  |  Arie 06/11/08
  88.   re 10 After 9/11,maybe someday we can respect Saudis 03:33  |  Steve 06/11/08
  89.   whatever 04:13  |  don muntean 06/11/08
  90.   Bush was a nightmare 04:34  |  PhoenixAlly 06/11/08
  91.   #83 Gray 04:37  |  John Allen 06/11/08
  92.   #69 Alia Curtis, wake up my friend! 04:43  |  John Allen 06/11/08
  93.   More than Obama`s advisors now he chose 04:55  |  ELIAS KHOURY 06/11/08
  94.   #83 does the deranged gray know who obamas chief of staff is ? 06:01  |  victor hardman 06/11/08
  95.   I couldn`t give a shit what Arabs think. 06:49  |  Palestiniansareamyth 06/11/08
  96.   victor h. I`m sorry but... 07:04  |  Gray 06/11/08
  97.   Gray, 83, exposes bitter fruit of Evangelical Zionist influence 07:25  |  Ivar 06/11/08
  98.   To PhoenixAlly 07:32  |  don muntean 06/11/08
  99.   15# Ivar with his eyes closed ! 07:53  |  Akram Zekaria 06/11/08
  100.   what`s said of bush is partially TRUE; and abundantly SKEWED! 08:03  |  eric 06/11/08
  101.   71# Mark Lincoln ` real blind vision` 08:07  |  Akram Zekaria 06/11/08
  102.   To Judith #2 08:08  |  Gordon 06/11/08
  103.   #72 Sheri... 08:56  |  Hastaroth 06/11/08
  104.   To 51 and alikes 09:40  |  B.Saleem 06/11/08
  105.   Who Cares 20:21  |  Joe 07/11/08
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