Opinion | Columnists
Empty words, yet again
US President George W. Bush disappointed his audience in Abu Dhabi with an address which reiterated the same themes that he has been pushing for the past seven years.
- By Francis Matthew, Editor at Large
- Published: 00:54 January 14, 2008
- Image Credit:
US President George W. Bush disappointed his audience in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with an address which reiterated the same themes that he has been pushing for the past seven years.
Despite his renewed interest in the Middle East, Bush failed to introduce any new vision or overarching mission, and he spoke in generalities which ignored the Middle East's need for specific solutions.
In part he focused on anti-Iranian rhetoric, but his main theme was the importance of introducing democratic reform across the region, of justice and freedom, and ensuring the accountability of leaders and government to the people.
But by leaving these broad aspirations very vague, Bush did not link his rhetoric to any specific political initiatives.
The speech was the key note address of his on-going tour of the Middle East, and it mixed his post-9/11 mission against extremists and terrorists with his generalised support for democratic government.
The most ideological US president of recent times did not offer any inclusive policies for policy makers in the US or in the Middle East to pick up and work with.
His most forceful attack was directed at Iran as the "world's leading state sponsor of terror" stating that it "sends hundreds of millions of dollars to extremists around the world", quoting Iran as supporting Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. He ended by promising help to the Iranians should they change their government.
He largely avoided talking of Iraq, his greatest policy failure in the Middle East; and he only referred to the key issue of Palestine in passing when he mentioned the on-going Annapolis talks between Israel and Palestine, and said only that both countries had tough choices to make.
The ongoing occupation of Palestine remains the heart of conflict in the Middle East, and peace in Palestine will not be won by such platitudes.
It will need specific and focused leadership, dealing with the hard issues such as illegal colonies, ignored borders, and continuing security concerns.
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The president needs to offer more than vaguely expressed support for freedom and justice, if his initiative is to take off and get anywhere at all.
No-one can disagree with a call for peace and justice for all, but the politicians in the region need a detailed plan to work on, supported by a vision which the region can embrace. Unfortunately, neither was on show on Sunday.
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