President Obama addressed Muslims at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt, and stated, “I’ve come to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world…”
His speech, translated into 13 languages and viewed throughout the world, addressed people of all countries and faiths.
“I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground,” he continued.
And speak openly he did. The scope and breadth of Obama’s speech was breathtaking.
After opening the dialogue between Muslims and Americans, he laid out seven other important world issues: violent extremism, the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world, nuclear weapons, democracy, religious freedom, women’s rights, and economic development and opportunity.
The issues he addressed would normally all be considered “third rail” topics; topics so “charged” or “untouchable” as to be political suicide. As Rachel Maddow pointed out, “He said things that American politicians almost never say in public. Especially American presidents.”
This did not deter President Obama from being open and honest. So honest in fact that he admitted “In the middle of the Cold War, the United States had played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.”
Former National Security Advisor under President Carter, Zbigniew Brezezinski, called the speech ‘gutsy,’ and said, “I think this speech was a very courageous statement of his political philosophy and previewing the strategy that he’ll follow. I consider this speech to be a watershed.”
This is a speech that will be discussed for weeks, months and years to come as a defining moment in American foreign policy and world relations.If you have not done so already, take the time to listen to this incredible speech in its entirety. You can find it at www.whitehouse.gov. You will find it well worth your time.
*NOTE: The photos shown here are from the White House Photo Office
Cheri Cabot
Cheri is a single, freelance writer living in Southern California. She has two grown children, one in Iowa and one a recent graduate of Columbia University, and is the proud grandmother of two. Cheri is also a purveyor of fine coffee, warm chatter and dry wit.
You can find Cheri’s home page at www.ccabot.gather.com
Her weekly political column “Personal About Politics”, can be found at www.personalpolitics.gather.com.
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Comments: 49
Probably good for domestic consumption, but people in the middle east probably thought of it as disingenuous and rather hollow. Example:"Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam."
They’re probably thinking... uh... no it wasn’t modernity and globalization that seemed hostile, rather it was things like:
Replacing a democratically elected president in Iran with a dictator whose secret police terrorized the people for 25 years, and of course there are all of the other dictators we supported in the middle east - including Egypt and Saudi and all our other "friends" in the region, while we talked hypocritically about "spreading democracy," in the region as excuse to invade Iraq.
The US playing both sides in the Iraq/Iran war (that’s the one where we didn’t mind if Saddam invaded his neighbor, unlike Kuwait).
The US selling WMD to Saddam and helping him use them (logistical support) on his Islamic neighbor.
The US bombing of Iraqi water purification facilities at the end of Gulf War 1 and our enforcement of embargo of equipment to repair those facilities which led to 350,000 deaths of Iraqi children.
And there’s the common middle east perception of an American funded Israel perpetually attacking a weak Palestinian people with American weaponry.
And of course the US invasion and occupation of Iraq (they're wondering why we're still there six years after the WMD issue died),
And of course the US bombing of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and all of the depleted uranium we've left there to cause cancer and birth defects for the next several hundred thousand years... and on and on...
For a real productive speech, Obama could have said “I am the president of change” and all that stuff is now history, not to be repeated.
According to Richard Engel who watched it in Afghanistan with local tribespeople, they were VERY impressed, Robert. In fact Engel reported numerous Afghanis breaking down and cryng with joy. hmmm.
I'll have to check the reactions more thoroughly. After our last regime, Obama probably does seem like something of a fresh start, and he certainly is a charismatic speaker. It just seems to me that in order to really change relations for the better, he would need to make a very bold and specific statement about how he intends to turn the corner.
Robert, you made the point, as did Obama when he said that only one speech cannot make all those sweeping changes. That being said, just making the statements he did... putting them out on the table for discussion and hopefully leading to some changes. He has no illusions all these problems will suddenly disappear because of his speech, but if he follows through, making them a part of his foreign policy, which seems to be the case, then change will come. The respect he is cultivating throughout the world is necessary to plant his seeds of change.
I know a lot of jaws dropped when he admitted US culpability in the disposing of the govt of Iran back in the 50's. Wow. Talk about something that is never said out in the open! I think he jumped the third rail and hit the fourth rail.
Yes Cheri, few Americans have any idea that we installed the Shah as dictator because Iran's president wanted to nationalize oil. For 25 years he tyrannized the Iranian people with his Savak secret police.
When the Iranian's finally had enough and began the revolution they took hostages at the embassy, and American's couldn't understand why. For the most part they didn't have a clue. It was the beginning of our "but we are innocent victims" attitude that resurfaced on 9/11.
I was living in Los Angeles at the time of the hostage crisis. Bill Russell (famous Boston Celtics basketball center) had been doing political commentary on ABC affiliate, for a couple of years. The first night of the hostage crisis, Russell came on and said "Maybe we should ask why these people are doing this." That was Russell's last appearance.
Robert, of course what you say is true. US has done all of that and more. But Obama's overture is still to be taken at face value, at least for now. He did not personally do any of those things, he cannot undo any of them and no matter how much change he brings about he cannot ensure American will never do such things again.
But one need not be so cynical. If Obama were to attempt to do as you suggest, own up to every bad thing ever done by previous administrations and try to right every wrong at once he would exhaust his political capital immediately and accomplish nothing.
There are those thing we would like to see happen that we can hope to see happen and there are those things that we can actually make happen. Confusing the two is counter-productive.
Rory, you are right, and as Obama put it, there are some wrongs on all sides. If we just concentrate on them, we will never get any progress. We will be doing what the Germans and the French did for decades -- fight over the last war or the war before that.
At least we have a President that has now admitted that we did some things wrong. That, in itself, should have brought down a thunder clap from the heavens -- instead it will just bring down the old tired refrain from the right-wing.
Rory, you are a very practical thinker and you come up with a lot of well reasoned and well stated insights, but I disagree with you. Sure, a bunch of Republicans and their like minded constituents would be calling him a "terrorist" or "traitor," but imagine what that would do for the whole terror vs. civilization scenario. Coming out and acknlowledging what the rest of the world already knows and saying we have changed would cut the legs right out of terrorist (or radical anti-American) recruitment. It's really a matter of asking ourselves if it was productive for the CIA or our government otherwise to have been overthrowing governments for the last half-century. Consider the Iraqis and the 135,000 Iraqi children who died as result of our bombing of water purification and enforcing embargo against repair. So many of the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins of those 135,000 dead children developed a resentment (at best) hatred (at worst) toward the US. Consider all of the Iranians who suffered under the Shah, or were killed or maimed from chemical weapons we supplied to Saddam and helped him use in those Iranians -- all of their family and relatives ...you get the idea. Our policies are the problem, not some fantasy about "they hate our freedom."
Even if we disregard the morality of all these terrible things we have done, we need to ask how productive they have been. We've done all this to shape the world to our interests, but we've done it without a lot of foresight. That's the big ball of wax we need to acknowledge and stop making bigger (or continuing). Can we say, with Obama that it's a bygone mode for us? At this point, I don't think so.
Thanks, Robert.
You have a point, but I think some practical limitations and dangers prevent some of what you would like to see Obama do. The limitations of the power of his office for one, but the dangers presented by those within the USA who would not take kindly to the president going what they would consider to be too far in owning up to American malfeasance. A leader can only lead where people are willing to follow, and that means baby steps a lot of the time.
There are those who would do violence to Obama should he push them too hard. And what message would that send to the world?
I have not had a chance to hear the entire speech, but the first 15 minutes had me cheering him on. When he pointed out all the positive contributions made by the Middle Eastern people throughout history and recognized contributions made by our own Muslim citizens, he won that crowd. But to use that to build up to we recognize you're not the bogeyman, now you need to recognize we aren't either - that couldn't have been done more fairly.
And I believe it represented what a lot of us have been thinking all along. WE know religious radicals aren't the majority of either country. We know they're desperate and we know it's time to shut them down.
EM JAY, take the time to listen to the speech. It will be discussed and dissected for years to come. It is amazing. He is a gifted speaker, but more importantly, he makes us believe they are not just words, but serious intentions. In his short tenure President Obama has already gained respect around the world, which gives him an unprecedented opportunity to create dialogue and help solve - at least begin to solve - many of the issues he addressed.
The office of President of the United States is an important platform in the world because of the position of the country amongst the community of nations. Place in that office a man with the ability to inspire and charm and motivate and wni-over people to his cause and you multiply the power of that platform many times.
Obama is such a man. His rhetoric is stirring and inspirational. His courage to address issues most would rather die than touch and to admit wrongs that have for too long been swept under the rug is laudible.
I learned so much listening to President Obama's speech. I listened twice, reading along the second time to get the full impact. It has started people thinking in different ways and opened dialogue with different ideas.....which is exactly what he has intended. What an amazing speech, given by an amazing man.
Yes, a speach that was an attempt to break down the walls that separate us, and Imhof's response is, "I can't tell which side he is on."
Those who see the world simplistically (black & white, right & wrong) cannot accept any admission of wrong on their own side. If they did they would have to then accept there own side is entirely in the wrong, because that is how black & white thinking works: there are only two options.
The world is more nuanced than that. Obama is smart enough to know that, wise enough to realize that there is more harm in insisting one is always right than there is in admitting when one is wrong, and brave enough to do it the face of condemnation from those who are not.
Of course America has been in the wrong at times. And of course America is not the Great Satan. Admitting the first does not prevent denying the second.
great speech.
It is, of course, always surprising when a President tells the truth and admits some of the warts really do exist. That was probably the first time any Westerner of importance has spoken truthfully, and respectfully to them. The fact that some of it was true is, of course, born out by the right-wing attacks that started almost before he finished speaking.
Could be because many of the warts are a result of GOP actions....Eisenhower was in power when the government of Iran was tossed, and of course Bush & Co. created the fiasco in Iraq.
I don't think it matters what toad caused the warts. What does matter is we show a real seriousness about curing them.
And Reagan supported Saddam's war against Iran.
President Obama admitted our guilt in the 1953 coup, and admission of guilt is the first step in rebuilding relations.
Thank you for saying that Jerry -- I mean sincerely - thank you. The problem is most Americans have no idea of what we have done to cause resentment ("why do they hate us" - and our former president saying "they hate our freedom"). That's the disconnect. Most Americans have no idea of what we've done, but the rest of the world knows very well. Of course this gets complicated as we can't sever ties with every dictatorship in the region (practically all are) and we can't just walk away from Israel to satisfy the Arab sentiment that we are one with Israel while "we" continue to brutalize the weak Palestinians.
But at least we could look at where we've been to recognize where we are and where we need to go. I like your comment.
By putting these problems and hidden issues out in the open, and admitting our involvement, much of the culpability disolves and wounds can begin to heal.
Yes, Cheri and it signals to others around the world that we have turned the page. Otherwise, it just comes off as eloquent propaganda from a leader elected by a people who have no conception of what has been done by their government that has caused the problem that needs to be addressed.
In fairness, Robert, most people of most nations have no idea what their leaders have done in their name. The difference is the size and reach of the American empire means that your country has just done more than most.
People don't care enough to pay attention and leaders don't want to tell us more than they have to.
Rory, people in most countries don't have this to think about because they don't have the capacity to influence events and other countries as we have.
It may sound like I'm hard on the US, but I recognize the unique position we're in, particularly being the lone superpower. But that's just what has sent us over the edge during the last administration, a bunch of guys who wanted to continue dominating the world by denying any other country that might challenge that status the means to do so. That's what the Project for the New American Century tha co-opted the Bush administration was all about and we can see where that took us.
No other nation has been involved in so many wars and military actions as the US has either. We've been involved in about 20 since WWII, and almost all of them were started with false reasons given, or propaganda.
We (US) are our own worst enemy, and my point is we need to recognize the mechanism that is causing more and more blowback that affects us adversely.
On that we are in absolute agreement, Robert. And it goes back farther than just WWII. America has fought a war in just about every generation since its founding, and that is a terrible truth.
Eisenhower knew exactly what he was talking about when he warned about the growing influence of the military-industrial complex. Of course, as former allied commander in WWII and a career military man, not to mention Commander in Chief and president for eight years, he would know. But we ignored his warning, the right wing has now managed to frame the term "military-industrial complex" as an overwrought cliche and anything said against it is dismissed as leftist alarmism.
But the profits made from the war industry are the main reason why America fights, and this is a fact which has nothing to do with the threat of communism or of radical Islamic terrorism.
You're so right Rory, "Military Industrial Complex" had become a buzzword that is, as you say associated with liberal alarmism. That's part of the problem that keeps us (the public) from having a dialogue about what a problem it is. My take on an oversimplified version is: We have "defense" or weaponry manufacturing facilities in all states and regions of our country (US) and unfortunately it's now woven into the fabric of our economy, so we have to either sell it all, or use those bullets so we can make more, and on and on and on. And there's the lobbyists, who basically have become part of the government, who push the machine and our overextended, bloated military empire of 800+ bases, our dozen naval fleets networking the globe and our continual stream of military actions we get into (almost always under false pretenses) that drives it all.
It would be wonderful if we could figure a way out of all that, but we can't even get past the words "military industrial complex."
Good article, Cheri. Great speech.
But where was the pointing finger? I'd gotten so use to that that I thought it was part of our foreign policy :)
Actually John Philipp, with Clinton it was the pointing thumb.
It's just a speech but it represents so much more. People are hungry for a message like this. Some people, however, have twisted and distorted what he said to mean something else. Typical....
Absolutely, Carla! We have been in a bleak desert of fear mongering and bad foreign relations for the last eight years. We were not only hungry...we were starved for this message!
I think it is the first time a president has spoken the truth to shame the devil, he may be telling tales out of school, but the people have known a lot fo theis for years and the leaders have been leading the people down the garden path of hyposcracy and lies. Thanks be to the universe that Obama has the guts to point out the errors, blunders and mistakes this country has been led into and now he is going to lead us out of it!
I've been meaning to watch/listen to that speech, I missed it on Tv
I didn't hear the speech. They are just too boring for me.
it's a start Cheri. the devil in the details. It was poorly received among people of ill will: Israeli hard liners who want to continue to subdivide the West Bank with Israeli housing developments; USA hard liners who just think that muslims all need to become christians, Al Qaeda and Hezbollah muslims who don't WANT to get along with the USA, with Israel, or with anyone else who wants peace between islam and its perceived rivals.
We need to remember that may people have a vested interest in keeping the pot boiling. Those people would like to slap Obama's hand when he reaches for the pot to move it somewhere it can cool.
Chris, remember that God is in the details, too. I know who I'm backing to win that tug of war.
Arabs and Israelis have been fighting forever. I can't imagine what our president can say or do to change that. So many others have tried and failed. Perhaps God will supply him the right details.
It sounds like Obama missed his calling. He should have been an ambassador. I haven't read the speech yet, but I hope he spoke as leader of the strongest, most generous nation on earth. I also wish he would spend as much time honoring Christians as with Muslims.
It's a world filled with miracles, but it remains to be seen whether our president can acoomplish what no others have been able to do in centuries. Let us pray.
I don't trust him - remember, he's a Politician - first and foremost. There is an agenda here and time will enlighten us. Great speeches are not great deeds.
They are putting him on a pedestal on a world-wide basis.. The "uniter" for the New World Order? Will they "fall" for his charisma as Americans have?
I refuse to put on my rose colored glasses. He just gives the pretty speeches written for him.
I hate not even being able to watch the news. it sounds like it was a great speech. Lets hope we all continue to move forward.
Lisa, you can hear the entire speech here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/NewBeginning/
and/or click on the "transcript" link just below the video clip and read it. I did both; opening the transcript in a separate tab, so I could read and listen at the same time. It's truly an exceptional and courageous speech. Now time will tell where, and if, his words take us anywhere.
Very interesting political conversation Cheri. Thank you for broaching it here.
Meanwhile, I thought I'd stop by to point you to my own coverage of the current Recovery Act dollars, certainly a major compenent of this administration's plans: "Recovery Act funds to expand Hispanic outreach programs, in AmeriCorps program and beyond."
Hope to see you there.
What a steamy load of crap! The "watershed" only serves to camouflage all the actual bloodshed that we've been inflicting on the Arabs for years -- and look at all the refugees from Pakistan since Obama was elected! It's all posturing. How have the policies changed? He promised to bring home the troops and he clearly hasn't. His relatives are living in destitution while he makes millions on his books. And Zbigniew Brzenzski is nothing but a New World Order idiot. How can people believe this crap? And Obama hasn't cut taxes -- those wimpy tax credits don't amount to anything. Look at all his appointees -- they're all corporate / big bank insiders. Watch Alex Jones' 'The Obama Deception' film for the truth -- Jones is a great researcher and doesn't back down. Obama can't even prove that he's an American citizen -- and what credibility do his fascist-socialist policies have?
What an awesome speech! Good for him. Let's hope he can follow up now.