American President Barack Obama has been living under the idea that he is going to bring real change to the United States and the world. Here in the Middle East, Arabs are expecting the President to follow through on his promises, even if they were not given to the entire world. Arabs feel closer to any American president in his history and have, whether legitimately or not, put much of their future in his hands. Now almost 9 months into his presidency, Obama has a choice: to make a new path in the region or keep the status quo. Right now, the status quo is looking like the path he has chosen. Although Arabs hope he will forge a new direction in the region, the likelihood of this, along with the optimism of months previous, is dwindling. Hamas’ leadership, which issued a letter to the president during his visit to Cairo in June – the letter was delivered to the American Embassy in Cairo by CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin – had stated they were ready for talks “without preconditions.†The letter’s most important passage, which was largely unreported by Western media outlets reads: “We in the Hamas Government are committed to pursuing a just resolution to the conflict not in contradiction with the international community and enlightened opinion as expressed in the International Court of Justice, the United Nations General Assembly, and leading human rights organizations. We are prepared to engage all parties on the basis of mutual respect and without preconditions.†That should have been an opportunity for Washington to make in roads into establishing communication channels with Hamas. But, wait, due to Hamas being listed on the State Department’s terrorist organizations, they were unable to make contact. Maybe it is time to rid themselves of this document in order to speak to organizations and groups that appear willing to negotiate. It doesn’t appear too “terrorist-like†to say talks can take place without preconditions. This goes back to the status quo that more and more are seeing as the reality of the Obama presidency. Israel continues to take military action when it deems necessary, bombing along the Gaza-Egypt border, killing Palestinians and continuing the construction of West Bank settlements, despite Washington’s protests. Welcome to the region of your father. Elsewhere in the Middle East, aging dictators continue to push their populations into silence. Using fear and arbitrary arrests, from Egypt to Syria and beyond, “presidents†have been in power for decades without relinquishing one ounce of power. Populations had hoped Obama would put pressure on these governments to open up and give more voice to the common citizen. Instead, Obama offered one of those leaders, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a place at the White House. Protests and anger surrounded the Mubarak visit in Egypt, adding to the frustration. Coupled with the Egyptian president’s visit, Washington announced that it would no longer give financial aid to NGO’s not on the government’s approved list here. That means dozens, if not more, rights groups that have highlighted the growing violations in Egypt may soon find life difficult. It left many with a bad taste for America’s new president. While it is easy to condemn and say Obama doesn’t care, the reality is he is stuck with America’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and a health care battle that could very well determine is candidacy in 2012. So, let’s give him a break. For now. In the meantime, we can offer one possible solution that Washington could implement in order to regain the hearts and minds of Arabs across the region and the world: end military aid. Egypt receives approximately $1 billion in military aid annually. The question is why? The Egyptian military does little to help the “American cause abroad,†said one activist here recently. Instead of handing over a large sum of money for military buildup that advances very little in Egypt, Washington could use Egypt as a litmus test for the region. Put the money toward infrastructure and social programs. Not the social endeavors that attempt to advance American ideals, but social programs that help move Egypt forward in terms of education, political party development and democracy. If successful, Obama could prove to the world that change can be real and that the future for Arabs in the region is brighter because he is president. By buttressing failing education systems in Egypt, he would, alone, do something the Egyptian government has been unwilling to do for decades: give the people a fighting chance. Egypt is stung by greed and corruption. Average people continue to struggle to find a job. The problem is there are no opportunities and the government has turned a blind eye to their pleading. Obama, by redirecting aid in Egypt – and elsewhere in the region – could show that America wants Egypt and the region to succeed, on their own terms. This would be the change expected. End the unyielding support for leaders who put their regime first and their people second. This seems like a no-brainer, but no president in history has had the guts to take this action. Maybe Obama is just getting warmed up. If he waits longer, it may be too late and more anger and violence could be the result of American and Israeli arrogance toward the Middle East. BM **Joseph Mayton is Editor/Founder of Bikya Masr.
