Obama’s Speech in Cairo

On Thursday, June 4th at Al-Azhar Islamic University in Cairo, Obama gave a speech that was of particular interest to those of us who closely follow his political actions, especially given the enormous sway of the superpower he leads. I want to use this opportunity to point out what, in my opinion, were the basic, most important ideas he expressed, although they will be summarized for time’s sake.

We shouldn’t just know that he spoke, but also what he spoke about.

“We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the world.”

“The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.”

“…Colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations.”

“Violent extremists have exploited these tensions…”

“…Has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights.”

“I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect…”

“…They overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.”

“…No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point.”

“As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.”

“I’m a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.”

“It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment.”

“…Since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.”

“They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have stood for civil rights…”

“I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”

“…America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.”

“The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America…”

“Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people.”

“When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk.”

“When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations.”

“…Any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail.”

“In Ankara, I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.”

“…We reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children.”

“…There are still some who would question or even justify the events of 9/11.”

“The victims were innocent men, women and children from America…”

“Now, make no mistake: We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We see no military – we seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can.”

“The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as — it is as if he has killed all mankind.”

“Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world.”

“…I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible.”

“Today, America has a dual responsibility: to help Iraq forge a better future — and to leave Iraq to Iraqis.”

“I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources.”

“Iraq’s sovereignty is its own. And that’s why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.” “…Combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012.”

“Nine-eleven was an enormous trauma to our country.”

“…In some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals.”

“I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.”

“…America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law.”

“The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world.”

“America’s strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable.”

“On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they’ve endured the pain of dislocation.”

“Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead.”

“So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable, and America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.”

“…Two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive.”

“It’s easy to point fingers – for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought about by Israel’s founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond.”

“…If we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth…”

“The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.”

“For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights.”

“…Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel’s right to exist.”

“Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”

“This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.”

“And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society.”

“Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.”

“The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems.”

“The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of

nations on nuclear weapons.”

“In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.”

“Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians.”

“Rather than remain trapped in the past, I’ve made it clear to Iran’s leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward. The question now is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build.”

“…It will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude, and resolve. There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.”

“I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons. And that’s why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.”

“…Any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Contained in the first three talking points of this speech is the fundamental objective of Obama’s trip to the Islamic University in Egypt. The new U.S. president cannot be blamed for the ancient conflict festering in the Middle East or for the development of events over the last 100 years. It is obvious that President Obama wants to find an exit from the colossal entanglement created by his ancestors.

Not even Obama himself could imagine, while he was working in the black communities of Chicago, that the terrible effects of a financial crisis would make possible his election to the presidency of a strongly racist country.

The president takes charge at an exceptionally complex moment for his country and for the world. He is working to solve problems that are perhaps considered to be simpler than they really are. Centuries of colonial and capitalist exploitation created a world where a handful of super-developed countries coexist with immensely poor nations that supply raw materials and a work force. If you add China and India, two truly emerging nations, the fight over natural resources and markets takes on a new gravity on a planet where basic human survival depends on competition being resolved.

Obama’s roots in Africa, his humble origins and his astonishing ascent arouse hope in many people who, like castaways, seek out last resorts in the middle of the storm.

He is correct to affirm that, “Any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail,” and that, “People of all faiths reject the killing of innocent men, women, and children.” It was also a powerful statement for the U.S. president to confirm, in front of the world, his opposition to the use of torture.

In general, many of his statements are theoretically correct; Obama clearly perceives the necessity that all countries, without any exception, renounce nuclear arms. Well known and influential U.S. personalities see nuclear proliferation as a great and growing danger to the extent that technology and science grant broader access to radioactive materials and the means of their use, even in small quantities.

It’s still early to judge the degree to which the president’s expressed ideals will have to be compromised and how far intentions will go- will the U.S. truly work towards a fair agreement in the Middle East, with guarantees for all nations?

The major difficulty for President Obama lies in that the principles that he preaches are in contradiction with the policies that the U.S. has followed for almost seven decades, since the last battles of World War II ceased in August of 1945. Here I particularly emphasize the aggressive and expansionist policy applied in Latin America and, particularly, Cuba, at a time when they were still far from being the most powerful nation in the world.

Each one of the norms that Obama preached in Cairo are in contradiction with the interventions and wars of the United States. The first of these was the infamous Cold War, which Obama mentions in his speech, unleashed by his country’s government in the post-WWII world. Ideological differences with the USSR did no justify hostility toward the state, which provided more than 25 million lives in the fight against Nazism. Obama would not have been recalling the 65th anniversary of the landing at Normandy and the liberation of Europe without the blood of the millions of soldiers who died combating elite Nazi troops. Those who freed the survivors of the famous Auschwitz concentration camp were soldiers from the Soviet army.

The world ignored what was happening, even though many in the official circles of the west knew the facts. Just like millions of Jewish children, women, and elders were heinously murdered, millions of Russian children, women, and elders lost their lives in the brutal Nazi search for “living space.” The West gave concessions to Hitler and conspired to launch it, and finally launched it in order to occupy and colonize the Slavic territory. In World War II, the Soviets were American allies, not enemies.

In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two defenseless cities, the United States launched and tested the effects of two nuclear bombs. Those who perished were mostly Japanese children, women, and elders.

If one analyzes the wars initiated, supported or elevated by in part by the U.S. in China, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, between the millions of people who died, many were children, women, and elders. The colonial wars of France and Portugal after World War II had U.S. support; the coups and interventions in Central America, Panama, Santo Domingo, Granada, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, and Argentina were all supported by the United States.

Israel was not a nuclear power. The creation of a state in territory from which Jews were forced into exodus by the Roman Empire two thousand years earlier was supported in good faith by the USSR and many other countries in the world. Since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, we have maintained relations with Israel for more than a decade, until its wars of conquest against the Palestinians and other Arabic peoples drove us to break off. This not with standing, total respect for Jewish culture and religious activity has been maintained without any interruption.

The United States never opposed the conquest of Arab territories by Israel, nor did it protest Israeli terrorist methods used against the Palestinians. On the contrary, they created a nuclear power there, one of the most advanced in the world, in the heart of Arab and Muslim territory. With that, the United States made the Middle East one of the most dangerous regions on the planet. Israel later supplied nuclear arms to the army of apartheid in South Africa, in order to use them against Cuban troops that, with Angolans and Namibians, defended the People’s Republic of Angola.

These are quite a few recent events the new U.S. president is surely familiar with. It should be clear that we are not foreign to aggression and the danger that nuclear Israel presents to peace.

After those three initial talking points, Obama dedicated himself to expounding upon U.S. foreign policy:

“The fourth issue that I will address is democracy,” he said. “Let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed on one nation by any other.”

“America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election, but I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how your are governed, confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice…”