Obama's first 100 days were a breeze, writes Assem El-Kersh. But the new US president is in for a real test At midnight last night, Washington DC time, reached his 100th day at the White House -- completing his first lap. Is it any surprise that the tide of admiration and cheerful anticipation that has followed Obama wherever he went, with every meeting he convened and every decision he took, will soon begin to ebb? The reckoning has begun, and from now on the new American president will no longer be showered with compliments. The sense of impunity with which every new president begins his career -- no less the ceasefire declared by his would-be enemies the world over -- is well past. With remarkable speed, in only 14 weeks, Obama managed to fill the presidential space, which seemed empty even while Bush Jr occupied it. By attempting to tend to the injuries incurred in the previous, difficult eight years -- during which Washington was condescending to everyone -- he quickly solicited the high regard of the vast majority. Obama enthusiasts saw in him a child prodigy who could run before he learned to walk. He did not waste a minute, they claimed, immediately starting to bridge the gap between America and the rest of the world. It seemed he could progress in the right direction on more than one front at the same time, modestly addressing the world and stressing different priorities. These included fixing the economy, reviving Middle East peace, shutting down Guantanamo and calling for a nuclear-free globe. No matter where he turned -- the Islamic world, Iran, Russia or Cuba -- rapprochement was the order of the day. Polite, peaceable, he seemed able to transcend the past. He focussed on redressing the legacy which awaited him in the Oval Office. Sceptics and critics, on the other hand, believe that, while he deserves full marks for rhetoric and effective communication, Obama overindulged in the past and displayed an excessive concern with the grand causes he grew up championing. Conservatives, including the renowned think tank Heritage Foundation, take issue with his criticism of the US -- believed to be more overt than that of any other US president. His overwhelming popularity outside America has reaped no tangible benefits to Washington, they add. Some go so far as to claim that his success -- Afghanistan and Iraq, as it seems -- has in fact been restricted to areas in which he maintained the policies of the Bush administration unchanged. Obama's positive personal qualities will act to overshadow US interests, they argue: the right man at the wrong time. Whichever set of views you subscribe to, however, there is no denying that an Obama Phenomenon has altered the global climate. He remains to many the solution to everything: the Arabs, forever kindly predisposed, try to see him as an Arab president of America; likewise Latin Americans, Africans and the wretched of the earth. All dream, with eyes wide open, of the black- skinned messiah. Everyone wants Obama for himself. So, at least, were the first impressions, and we know how lasting they can be. Yet this is not necessarily the case in the world of politics, where the beating heart is made of steel and the body of conflicting interests, pressures and calculations -- constantly in flux -- will reshape an image within time spans of frightening brevity. With the end of the first 100 days, there seems to be an end, also, to the consensus. That is why many agree that the next 100 days on Obama's journey will be far more taxing; in the wake of the initial euphoria, people will be out to test his true metal. Obama braced himself well for his leap into the sea of politics -- so much so that he managed to place the so-called war on terrorism in perspective, bringing it down to size. More importantly, he turned his back on Washington's previously myopic approach to the Middle East, which drove it into one war after another in the region and resulted in an endless chain of aberrations. This could be felt in the signals issuing from Washington's new administration, which insist on the viability of a two-state solution. So far, so good: there is no reason, yet, for the Arabs to feel confident or the Israelis unsettled. There is even reason to be sceptical regarding the current bargain on the future of the Palestinian state, since some have read in Obama reaching out to Iran a complex restructuring of regional politics -- yet again -- at the expense of the Palestinians. Be that as it may, intentions and statements make no difference; it is the deeds that count. In this part of the world, as everywhere, there is strong support for a US president who is sane, balanced and sensible. But what is even more important is the manner in which such a president will deal with Arab problems and aspirations. However well intentioned you may be towards Obama, it is crucial to be ready for surprises. Obama is, first and foremost, the US president, elected by the people of the US, and concerned, more than anything else, with US interests -- no matter how much these may be in contradiction with the just and legitimate demands of non-Americans across the rest of the world. For the next 100 days, indeed until the last hour in Obama's term, the Arabs' main issue with Obama will be what to expect of him -- and the greater the expectations, probably, the worse the shock. Only by imposing their own priorities on Obama's agenda will Arabs benefit from the phenomenon at hand, and it is well to remember that the US president is not the sole actor in his own country. Even if he so desired, Obama may not be able to act on Arab wishes in the face of lobbies, monopolies and other power loci. Get ready, in other words: the rehearsal is over; the show will now begin. (see pp.8&9)
