Obama in Jordan
Obama and the Muslim Cold War -Hillel Frisch [at right]
Obama will be surprised to discover that objection to any substantial movement on a Palestinian state will come less from Israel, and more from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan - which fear that Hamas would probably take over Judea and Samaria via an expanded Palestinian state.
As far as they are concerned, Israel did not batter Hamas sufficiently to allay their suspicions. These states prefer "process" over meaningful movement regarding the Palestinian problem.
Nor will these Arab countries be pleased about the newfound American desire to engage Iran and Syria. Saudi Arabia remains committed to seeing Bashar Assad tried in an international court, not letting him off the hook by engaging him.
The mainstream Arab countries, like Israel, seek U.S. resolve in confronting the Iranian-led axis, not an "outstretched American hand" to the radical part of the Muslim world.
The writer is an Arab affairs specialist at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University.
(Jerusalem Post)
Obama will be surprised to discover that objection to any substantial movement on a Palestinian state will come less from Israel, and more from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan - which fear that Hamas would probably take over Judea and Samaria via an expanded Palestinian state.
As far as they are concerned, Israel did not batter Hamas sufficiently to allay their suspicions. These states prefer "process" over meaningful movement regarding the Palestinian problem.
Nor will these Arab countries be pleased about the newfound American desire to engage Iran and Syria. Saudi Arabia remains committed to seeing Bashar Assad tried in an international court, not letting him off the hook by engaging him.
The mainstream Arab countries, like Israel, seek U.S. resolve in confronting the Iranian-led axis, not an "outstretched American hand" to the radical part of the Muslim world.
The writer is an Arab affairs specialist at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University.
(Jerusalem Post)
2 comments:
Certainly, the other Arab nations are cautious of Hamas and iran, with good reason, and as they become more outspoken, better for all involved. We will see more of this outspokeness, as we have seen lately from egypt, not because Obama "doesn't get it", but because we have Obama. The moderate Arab nations (and I use the term loosely) could not aliign themselves behind a nation led by Bush, and all the atrocities he committed against Muslims in the name of 9/11. They can get behind a man that says there is room for everyone in this world if theya re peace-loving. It is narrowminded and naieve to see Obama's offering to hostile nations as anyuthing but an invitation for engagement. It is not approval, and they, I believe, will find no approval from Obama or the U.S. for their rogue ways. But to embrace the policies and rhetoric that did so poorly for the Bush administration, would be the definition of insanity as related by Einstein, and repeated on this learned blog. Obama is trying another way, because he has so much proof about what does not work, 8 years of it. Talking to iran does not eman accepting a nuclear Iran. Indeed, it means letting them know the consequences of their actions, and that there are other ways. Peace in the MidEast? Who knows. Hard to imagine it likely, but we were never farther away from it then during the Bush years. Something needs to change. Let us see how the Obama doctrine does. We have seen what the Bush doctrine wrought, and will be paying for it, in many ways, for many years to come.
I wish I knew what the Obama doctrine is.
It's hard to know if he "gets" the MidEast...i look forward to watching it unfold.
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