Obama Wants To Help the Middle East Again

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s speech to the U.N. has been awaited with much anticipation. In fact, he began a charm offensive in the weeks leading up to his speech in order to convince the Western world of his good intentions regarding his country’s nuclear program. In view of this, his speech was a real disappointment. However, he did offer to discuss the topic with the West, which was never in any doubt.

Otherwise, there was a great deal of old “theocracy” in his speech. There was the usual mix of revolutionary propaganda and flat-out lies with a sprinkling of soothing clichés about international understanding which made it all easier to digest. In fact, Rouhani made no substantive admissions at all, but insisted instead upon further uranium enrichment.

Therefore, it is high time to cross-examine the Iranians. At today’s meeting with the international nuclear negotiators, the Iranians will have to clarify if they are willing to offer more than just cheap words.

Obama Has Admitted an Old Mistake

If this year’s U.N. General Assembly represents a turning point, it is not down to the Iranian president, but rather to his American counterpart. This is because Obama’s speech heralds a renewed reversal in U.S. foreign policy.

Almost three years after Hillary Clinton announced America’s focus on Asia, the president is turning his attention back to the Middle East. Barack Obama’s speech was almost entirely dedicated to the old problematic region. Furthermore, reading between the lines, his speech could also be regarded as an admission of a serious error.

The absentmindedness with which the U.S. acted in previous years has harmed the interests of the Western world and its allies. This has left behind a huge void; if we consider the situation in Syria, we see that Russia, Hezbollah and Iran have been pushed into this void.

There’s Just No Formal Compromise To Be Had with Iran

Now the president is actively attempting to dispel the perception that America is withdrawing from the Middle East. He refused to accept that America is an isolationist state and promised that the country would become actively involved in the region in the long term.

For almost three years, America attempted to turn its back on the region and to look toward Asia, the land of optimism. However, the unstable and strategically important region pulled America back.

It is high time that the Western world stubbornly protects its interests and strengthens its allies against Iran and any other destabilizing powers.

Obama’s handling of Tehran will show exactly how serious he is about this corrective course of action. If he can resist the temptation to implement a useless compromise, Iran’s bombs will be averted.