Wind in the Sails of Change

With his keynote address on the Middle East, President Barack Obama performed a verbal high-wire act. Almost exactly two years after his first speech in Cairo, which was aimed at improving U.S. relations with the Islamic world, his task this time was to clarify U.S. policy for the region.

In doing so, Obama succeeded in connecting the varied and somewhat contradictory developments in the region. He maintained balance by pushing the individual rights of citizens to the foreground. The United States supports any policy or movement that creates greater self-determination and opportunities for development.

Obama offered practical help to fledgling democratic movements. At the same time, the president avoided stirring false hopes, particularly with respect to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Those who anticipated that the speech would provide a blueprint for the Middle East and North Africa must be disappointed. Obama focused on the transformative power of the younger generation in this part of the world. He knows that an “Arab Spring” is still no guarantee of rapid success.

This makes it all the more important for Obama to transcend narrowly defined special interest politics in the region and to position the U.S. as a catalyst for change. He has taken the promises of democratization of his predecessor, George W. Bush, out of the theoretical world and into reality. The tempo of change does not reflect upon the U.S., but rather upon those affected, who take their fate into their own hands.