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A few minutes ago, in Cairo Egypt, Pres. Obama gave a speech that many hope will set the stage for a more constructive relationship with Muslim nations. He said, "I have come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect...."
International affairs specialist Patricia Kushlis hopes that the speech will mark a renewed commitment to diplomacy, because,
"The US cannot deal with the world only through the sites of a gun: the previous administration proved that approach a lie."
Obama's speech was closely watched around the world over network, cable and web video, as well as social media channels. A White House-sponsored Facebook page captures some of the reactions and discussion.
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During the speech, Obama acknowledged Islam's contribution to civilization, and stressed values common to the world's major monotheistic religions. He committed himself to combatting stereotypes about Islam in the US, and urged his audience to reject the false idea that America is at war with Islam or Muslims.
Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words - within our borders, and around the world. We are shaped by every culture, drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept: E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."
He said that although he believed that the Iraqi people were better off without former dictator Saddam Hussein, the Iraq War was a "war of choice," and he reiterated the timetable for the removal of American troops. By contrast, he said, the war in Afghanistan was provoked by the attacks of Sept. 11.
Obama drew distinctions between the tactics and rhetoric of violent extremists claiming the mantle of Islam and the teachings of the Holy Koran. He called for compromise in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on recognition of the suffering on both sides and need for a two-state solution. On Iran, Obama acknowledged the role of the United States in toppling the democratically-elected Mossadegh regime during the 1950s, as well as Iran's role in fomenting violence over the past generation. The question, he argued, is whether we will continue to be bound by the past, or whether Iran will commit to a more peaceful and prosperous future.
Obama also called for a broader commitment to human rights in Arab countries, including protections for free speech and the protection of educational and economic opportunities for women.
While speculation is rife about how the speech will be be received, the policies of the previous administration are continuing to divide Americans here at home.
For example, in an interview with Fox News this week, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that there was never any proof of a link between former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This, despite the fact that Cheney suggestedthat there was a link in 2003, and scolded the press in 2004 for failing to document alleged links between the Hussein regime and al-Qaeda.
Reflecting on Cheney's revelation, Pam Spaulding asked:
And how many died because of your lies, Darth?
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Arianna Huffington called Cheney's statement: "less of an admission than a PR move."
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded US forces in Iraq during 2003-4, is calling for a "Truth Commission" to determine "accountability"for the use of interrogation tactics widely considered to be torture. Sanchez resigned from the Army in 2005 in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Now he warns, "If we do not find out what happened," continued the General, "then we are doomed to repeat it."
Chris Le Jeune at VetVoice.com agrees with Sanchez:
I do believe that these actions must be investigated and those responsible for them brought to justice so that this never happens again.
Finally, we were reminded this week that home grown terrorists are real and persistent threat, On Sunday, an attack on a military recruiting office near Little Rock Arkansas Pvt. William
