Reaction to President Obama's speech in Cairo

Throughout the years, several presidents have traveled the world trying to strengthen ties with other countries.  A few of those presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, made less of an impact than other presidents.  Jimmy Carter made a foe of Iranians by supporting the Shah of Iran in 1978.  John F. Kennedy befriended several German residents by declaring he was a Berliner in 1963.  Now, President Barak Obama has visited Cairo making a speech to Muslims about improving the Muslim view of the U.S.  One of the presidents I have named made a positive impact on the people of Germany.  Obama is trying to do the same and hopefully bring some peace to the Middle East as well as the U.S. 

Obama’s visit to Cairo had a significant impact on Muslims and Americans alike, but left some Iraqis unimpressed. The world had mixed emotions about the President’s speech. He talked about his own Muslim heritage as a way to bridge the gap between the United States and the Muslim world. Muslims have an ill view of the United States, and vice versa. But many Iraqi said his words are not enough to solve the feud.

In his speech, Obama mentioned he would pull American troops from Iraq by 2012 leaving Iraqis’ to their country. Some Americans’ feel Obama’s speech will help strengthen relations between Muslims who have had an ill view of the U.S. since the war in Iraq started. However, according to Jeffrey Fleishman of the Los Angeles Times, Iraqis were unimpressed by Obama’s speech. Iraqi politicians resented Obama for thinking he can change the U.S.’s and Israel’s relationships’ with Iraq and Iran with one speech.

Obama acknowledged that fact in his speech saying, “No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point.” The President understands the hard work needed to mend this relationship, but Iraqis seem to think they have seen this type of promise before from George W. Bush.

Iranians believed promises of human rights from Jimmy Carter in 1978 when he visited Iran. He made a toast to the then-Shah of Iran stating, “An island of stability in a turbulent corner of the world." He went on to praise the Shah for attempting modernity in Iran. Iranians who originally supported Carter were displeased. Eventually, the Shah and his family were run out of Iran and, under the support of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, student radicals seized the American embassy in Iran taking 66 Americans hostage. Carter failed to negotiate the release of the hostages while in term.

Americans supported their nation during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The yellow ribbon became a symbol for the safe return of the American hostages to the U.S. But Americans were not happy with Iranians as a whole. Several protested saying Carter should deport all Iranians living in the U.S. Carter did everything he could think of to ensure the American hostages’ safe return.

Some Americans and especially Iranians say Carter’s visit to Iran and his relationship with the Shah caused the Iranian Hostage Crisis. They also believe the crisis and Carter’s acts while in office caused the torn relations between Iran and the U.S. today.

Unlike Carter, Obama tried to relate to Muslims through personal experience, just as JFK tried to be seen as an equal to the people of Berlin in 1963.  He told the crowd he knew of people who could not see a difference between Communism and freedom. His famous line was, “Let them come to Berlin.” Each time he said this, the crowd cheered. Kennedy became even more popular by saying, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” meaning, “I am a Berliner.” Kennedy gave hope to Berliners in their battle against a divided Germany and made them believe he was for the people of the world not just the U.S.

There was a small debate about what the president actually said to the audience. Rumor had it a rough translation of what the president actually said was, “I am a jelly doughnut.” However, most sites dispel this rumor. From the cheers of the crowd, it was certain no one thought the president said he was a jelly doughnut. They knew he was tying to unite free men everywhere.

In his speech, Obama pointed out there was no reason we couldn't all live in peace.  If we would all work toward a common goal of respect and peace, we could beat the terrorists' views of America.  However, a few reporters thought Obama could've elaborated on his strategies for success.

Fleishman said Obama’s speech lacked policy details, but Obama’s candidness made up for that. But Obama admitted the U.S. made mistakes in Iraq and the Iraqis wanted to hear the U.S. basically say we’re not perfect. Obama insisted it was the extremists who led Muslims to believe America was the enemy and that he would “relentlessly confront” extremists and urge Muslims to do the same. Obama wants Muslims to realize terrorist groups and Osama bin Laden are violent people who won’t listen to reason or negotiate peace.

However, Muslim-Americans seemed to relate to and agree with many things the President mentioned. One Muslim-American said to the Washington Post, Obama was able to show the accomplishments and Americanism of Muslim-Americans stating, “This is a 180-degree turn from the Bush Administration.” I think Americans and Muslims can agree the Presidency of Barak Obama will be an immense difference from that of Bush’s.

Unfortunately, Iraqis and Iranians will take almost anything President Obama says with a grain of salt. They have heard several words of encouragement and hope, but have yet to see action from the U.S. in giving them the respect they want. Hazim Al-Nuaimi an analyst at Baghdad University said, “He gave nothing new to Iraqis. He gave one promise, to respect the rights of minorities and work with consensus. In all he says, he tries to remove himself from all that
happened in Iraq."

In a reaction piece written by Campbell Robertson of the New York Times, he said on the day of the speech in Iraq, a man tried to change the channel to see it at a restaurant and others shouted at him, “What a stupid speech!” But a political science professor at the University of Mosul had words of encouragement; “It is a chance that Muslims and Arabs must seize, if they hope for better solutions in the Middle East.”

It will take time to see real results from Obama’s strategies and he certainly cannot please everyone. With his Muslim heritage and open attitude to change, Obama will play a key role in bridging the divide between the two worlds. One thing is for certain, he seems to be making more progress in the first six months than some presidents have done in their entire presidency.