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No Obama-mania in the Mideast
The Illinois senator came and went, leaving behind a region that has become the biggest challenge to world stability.
- By Osama Al Sharif, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 23:24 July 26, 2008
- Image Credit: Illustration: Luis Vazquez/Gulf News
There were no signs of Obama-mania in the Middle East as the presumptive Democratic senator from Illinois launched the first part of his foreign trip that took him to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, the Occupied Territories and Israel. Barack Obama's visit to these countries was limited to meetings with public officials and American soldiers serving in the dusty battlefields in Bagram and Baghdad. In Israel Obama held a press conference in the southern town of Sderot with the mangled remains of Al Qassam rockets in the background.
No public rallies took place where the contender for the US presidency could address the citizens of the countries and territories that he visited. Perhaps he never asked for it and it was never suggested by his hosts. It probably never crossed anyone's mind that the people of the Middle East, from Afghanistan to Iraq, and in Jordan and Palestine, would be interested in a speech delivered by one of the most celebrated politicians on the face of this planet today.
Obama addressing Iraqis or Palestinians would have been a novel idea. It would not have helped his chances to win the November elections, so that is why no one suggested it. But the fact that no one did sums up the stereotypical view that American - and European - politicians hold of this neck of the desert. People don't matter much here as do their leaders and representatives. And while this region continues to struggle for a fair treatment by the superpowers, the politics of yesterday is believed to be as good as that of today and tomorrow.
This is why there were no signs of Obama-mania in Kabul, Baghdad, Amman and Ramallah. The man and his entourage were seen on TV screens but their presence was never felt. Perhaps a closed road here, a security cordon there and the deployment of additional police and armed men in uniform betrayed the fact that a Middle Eastern capital was receiving a VIP guest, in this case the man who could become the next American president.
Pro-Israel rhetoric
Even the Arab press treated the Obama visit with indifference. Apart from reporting his official meetings and statements, few commentators bothered with paying tribute to, or lambasting, the man who is believed to be changing the face of American politics. Obama's views on regional politics have been known for some time. For millions of inhabitants of this vast and unstable region, the buzz that Obama has created in his own country and in Europe has failed to excite. Few believe American policies will change drastically during his watch.
He may differ with his Republican rival, John McCain on Iraq, but on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict few see major differences. In fact Arabs still recall his pro-Israel rhetoric at the recently held American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting in Washington. If Obama had a different perception of how his administration will deal with the Middle East, then he should have used his last visit to the region to present it.
And so Obama came and went leaving behind a Middle East that has become the biggest challenge to world stability. He echoed his previous stance on Iran, reiterated his unconditional support of Israel, repeated his promise to pull troops from Iraq and underlined the need to focus on fighting the war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
For Arabs who expected the charismatic lawmaker to bring hope and prove the pessimists wrong, Obama disappointed. But it would be unfair to expect much from Obama, especially for Arabs. The Democratic nominee is running an historic election campaign and the battleground and the votes are back in the US and not in Kabul, Baghdad or Amman. The main objective of his Middle Eastern and European tour was to prove to the electorate that the he understands foreign affairs and can handle world leaders just as good as his 72-year-old rival, if not better.
There are no votes to be collected in Kabul or Baghdad, although his position on issues pertaining to the Middle East will have an effect on US voters. And so Obama opted not to talk about the prospects of democracy in the Middle East, ending Israeli occupation and decades of injustice towards the Palestinians, human rights or other issues that millions in this part of the world believe deserve to be discussed.
But what applies to the Middle East does not necessarily fit the Europeans. In Berlin Obama spoke live during a rally attended by tens of thousands at Tiergarten Park. The comparison to John F. Kennedy's Berlin speech could not be missed by some pundits. Obama enthralled and basked in the European spotlight in a way only few of his countrymen had done in the past.
Obama spoke about a united Europe which, along with the United States, will play a role in furthering peace and stability around the world. Obama was there to repair the damage that the Bush administration had done to American-European relations. He was there to show supporters and hesitant voters back home that he was the man of the moment, that Europe was colour-blind, that it loved his style, his tone of speech and his optimistic policies.
In Europe Obama could grab some votes and shake McCain's campaign and show Americans that the world, especially Europe, can love them again just as it loves him! Obama-mania was exactly what the Democratic contender needed and got. Europeans, on the other hand, applauded the young black senator because they had enough of Bush politics and for the majority McCain was an extension of that.
We saw two versions of Obama during his 9-day tour of the Middle East and Europe. In this part of the world he stayed away from ordinary people and their issues. And the region reciprocated by showing no signs of interest in his presence. In Europe he played a different game altogether for election reasons. None of these two versions tell the truth about Barack Obama. We will have to wait until after the November elections to recognise the real man. And maybe then we will begin to feel the Obama-mania!
Osama Al Sharif is a veteran journalist based in Jordan.
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