Obama’s Idealism ‘Too Bright’

MOHAMED Fouda of Al-Messa evening daily predicted that decisions made so far by the U.S. President Barack Obama, which rendered him as an idealist, would be hampered by “professional corrupters.”

“Will he be able to single-handedly face pressure groups that seek out the president’s weak points so as to tarnish his image?” Fouda wondered. Taking a page from history, the columnist acknowledged that such a group could even go as far as murder, just as John Kennedy, the idealist U.S. Democrat president, who was assassinated back in the 1960s. “Obama has put the Middle East peace process at the forefront of his concerns. But Israel does not want peace nor does it intend to reach out for a fair solution in accordance with international legitimacy. It has its own ways to help it lay down obstacles in Obama’s path,” he warned.

Fouda highlighted a few significant decisions taken by Obama, which the columnist believed could serve as a beacon. He noted that Obama stressed that the U.S. government should be part of the plan that required American families to rationalize expenditure owing to the financial meltdown. He also said that lobbyists would no longer be allowed to legislate for their own personal interests and would be subject to unprecedented tough measures. And importantly, Obama promised full support to the freedom of information act to secure complete transparency and frankness on the part of the government in dealing with the people. Fouda directed his readers to note that Obama and his staff had received training on ways to implement all these measures a week before his inauguration. “Let’s at least study Obama’s general approach, even if we would not be able to apply it,” advised Fouda. Gitmo closure is only the first step.

Sherif Riyad of Al-Akhbar was optimistic about the new U.S. presidency because he felt that ‘Obama is honest with himself’. “Obama swiftly fulfilled his promise that the U.S. had chosen security over fear. The first order he signed was the closure of the infamous Guantanamo prison. The day after his inauguration, he called President Hosni Mubarak in appreciation of the role Egypt plays towards the establishment of peace in the region,” Riyad remarked.The columnist hoped that Obama would realize that peace and stability would not be attainable unless the Palestinians restore their legitimate rights and enjoy an independent state that takes East Jerusalem as its capital.

Quit fooling ourselves, Veteran columnist of Al-Ahram semi-official daily Salama Ahmed Salama lamented the fact that ‘self-deception’ was an age-old Arab affliction. The Arabs have to admit that the recent appeals by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Arab leaders to overcome their differences were not enough to change ingrained behavior. ”A rift remains between parties that support Palestinian resistance represented by Hamas, a party that backs the Palestinian authority enamored by the hope that negotiation would ultimately prod Israel to opt for peace,” Salama delineated. Each party, he believed, seemed to be hiding its cards instead of laying them on the table in order to reach a strategy that relied on negotiations and dialogue, yet still allowed the option of resistance. “All liberation movements across the world have resorted to such a combined strategy,” wrote Salama. He also referred to an interview in Newsweek in which former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker said that the success of the peace process required the incorporation of Hamas as part of it. He was of the opinion that peace could not be established with only half of the Palestinians.The columnist contended that the Arabs had to understand and absorb the reality of this viewpoint, which they steadfastly ignore just because Israel is against it.

Rare chance–Ibrahim Nafie of Al-Ahram was of the conviction that Hamas’s insistence on excluding the Palestinian Authority from the reconstructiontion of Gaza and its neglect of the Palestinian president’s calls for a national, united government, were a threat to Palestinian rights. “Hamas is squandering a rare chance, which may never come again. It must seize the opportunity of the new U.S. administration, whihc wishes to improve the image of the U.S. abroad and to make up for the sins of the outgoing administration,” Nafie argued. Warrior seeks safety in time of war.

On the opinion page of Al-Akhbar, Yasser Rezq said that he could not accept Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas Politburo Chief, as a true leader of resistance. “If he had been a true leader, he would have never taken refuge in Damascus during the Israeli assault on Gaza. The place of a true leader is among the ranks of the resistance, which he is supposed to guide,” Rezq elaborated. Rezq was irritated by the speeches made by Meshaal, where he made light of the loss of Palestinian lives, advocating a strange logic that associates victory with the rescue of the resistance leaders and arms no matter if the dream of a state had become elusive. Rezq found little comparison between Meshaal, and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as the latter lived amongst his fighters and people. The columnist also criticised the infeasible terms included in Meshaal’s latest speech which reflected his disinterest in an inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

Homeward bound? Regarding the repercussions of the financial global crisis on Egypt, Abbas el-Tarabili of Al-Wafd opposition newspaper sounded the alarm regarding the large number of Egyptian expatriates expected to return home. “Considering that 65 per cent of development projects in the Arab world have come to a halt, these countries are expected to let go of a large segment of foreign labor force.” Tarabili feared that the influx of returning Egyptians would increase the unemployment problem. “Not only this – serious problems related to an extra burden on services and utilities would be certain to surface soon,” he said. “The sudden arrival of these families, most of whom have bought apartments on instalment plans, will cause havoc with the markets since they will now find difficulty paying these debts,” he warned. Turn on the lights.

On the back page of the same paper, Mohamed Moustafa Sherdi argued that the language of figures determines the development of any country. He claimed that the entire world considered figures released by the state as the best attraction for investment, even if the figures revealed negative results. “But at least it means that the State is well-informed and is trying to redress the situation,” Sherdi observed. He lashed out at the Egyptian Government for maintaining ‘a rather vague’ approach that imposes a blackout on the actual domestic economic conditions. “This means that the Government has not been able to get rid of an old habit of keeping the people in the dark.” Organized corruption.

Al-Masry Al-Youm independent daily highlighted a report submitted by 47 PMs, from different political persuasions, to the prosecutor general against former Minister of Housing Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman. The report referred to ‘unprecedented corruption during his term in office that reflect stark instances of misuse of pubic funds and resources’. The Parliament members accused Soliman of what they termed ‘systematically organized corruption’. They said he distributed land and villas to members of his family and entered into partnership with business-men to whom he sold acres of State-owned land at cheap prices.