Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Obama moves in fast to repair the Middle East

Mere rhetoric can fall flat unless Obama moves in fast to repair the Middle East

Middle Eastern people’s analysis of US policy will not be transformed merely by a triumph for Barack Obama. Rather, they want to see no-nonsense steps by him to end the occupation of their land. The Palestine question will be the gravest challenge. If a sovereign Palestinian state with Beit-ul-Moqaddas (Jerusalem) as its capital is not created, the state of affairs in the region will beyond doubt deteriorate.

“In the newfangled circumstances, where the US has seen a change in control, a new chance has been made available to US officials to modify their approach toward Iran,” said Hossein Alai. Alai also believes the US has viewed Iran as a “problem” which is the root cause of all recent crises between the two nations. If Barack Obama modifies this outlook and recognises Iran as a strategically and politically significant country, then there will be a scene for establishing a credible Tehran-Washington dialogue.

Evidently, Barack Obama has a lofty order. He devices to recover “America’s moral stature in the world” with one of the first things on his “to do list” being the shutting down of Guantanamo Bay and a stop to military torture. Furthermore, over the years, he has damned America’s entrance into Iraq and promoted a speedy pulling out of US troops. These moves can’t come almost immediately; but first, he must defy pressure from the old guard and the more hawkish of his advisers to walk with prudence. This new broom desires not only to sweep up clean but must also be open-minded in the exercise of strong antiseptic before we can even start to pardon the infringements of human rights committed by his precursor.

First, he has to abandon the ludicrous, hollow term “war on terror” as well as the guiding principles that draw from it, which have prompted militant radicalism rather than eliminating it. Instead, he must learn terrorism’s pedigree and how best to soothe anti-American/anti-Western emotion through discourse and cultural exchange. He can start off by instructing his border guards to behave reverently to all visitors to the US, especially those with Muslim names.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPMMalay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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