Obama on al-Arabiya
For Barack Obama to go on Arabic language television to directly address the emerging Arab public sphere. America’s image problem in that problematic region needs to be tackled in two kinds of ways. On the one hand, there’s a need for substantive shifts in policy that narrow the gap between U.S. and Arab perspectives on what’s happening in the world and what the problems are. And then on the other hand, I think there’s a need for gestures that set a context of mutual respect in which disagreements about policy are seen as disagreements about policy rather than reflecting a deeper religio-cultural chasm.
This is mostly about the latter, and I think you see it succeeding to an extent in the tone of al-Arabiya’s writeup of what Obama said about Israel—it’s critical, but it doesn’t dominate the discussion and disagreement isn’t taken as vitiating everything else he says. That’s important. The rest, of course, comes down to policy. Closing Gitmo and moving to really bring an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq should do a lot on that front.
30 Responses to “Obama on al-Arabiya”
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January 27th, 2009 at 9:16 am
All good points. I would just mention that Al-Arabiya is a media outlet that is already relatively supportive of the U.S., and so it is not yet a clear sign of success for Obama to make headway there.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:24 am
and so it is not yet a clear sign of success for Obama to make headway there.
But it’s all relative. For the Sheriff of Rock Ridge to walk down the street in broad daylight was a clear sign of success. Baby steps and all that.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Except that al-Arabiya is the Saudi-owned, US-supported station, and not watched nearly as much as al-Jazeera. Once Obama starts reversing the Bush policy of boycotting al-Jazeera, I’ll start crediting his media policy in the Arab world.
January 27th, 2009 at 9:28 am
For that matter, plenty of Bush administration officials have appeared on al-Arabiya over the past eight years, in an attempt to favor the more “pro-American” network over al-Jazeera. It doesn’t work, because a lot of people in the Arab world see the station as a Saudi mouthpiece and don’t trust it.
January 27th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Missing from the coverage of the interview I think is the fact that what Obama did was actually in the best interest of the US. Maybe that goes with improving our image in the region but I think it should be explicitly stated that what Obama is doing is not just for the Muslim world but is actually making us safer.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Besides the prominence Obama lent to this interview by giving it ahead of, you know, Larry King & Matt Lauer (the latter scheduled this Sunday for all you football fans), the most important thing Obama said was, “I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.” In other words, I’m one of you.
I have never been more optimistic about a President. Obama has both the intention & the skills to actually live up to the oath of office. He’s been demonstrating this all week, but never more so than in his initial overtures in the Middle East conundra.
The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com
January 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am
It’s only been reported in the Jerusalem Post and on the blogs, but the January 16 Tzipi-Condi agreement gave the U.S. Navy a new mission: participating directly in the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
A blockade is an act of war. Where is the congressional authorization for the use of military force? Did we declare war on Hamas? Can President Obama stop implementing the agreement with Israel? So many un-asked questions in the news media.
January 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am
While it’s true that Al-Jazeera is seen as a more credible network, this interview on al-Arabiya is still helpful in reaching people. For example, I normally don’t watch Fox News because I see it as a propaganda network.
However, I did watch Bill O’Reilley’s interview with Obama, simply because I was curious about what he had to say. I still don’t watch FoxNews or view it as credible even after the interview, but I was willing to watch an interview on the network to see the person.
Don’t be surprised if Al-Arabiya stole many Al-Jazeera viewers for that interview.
January 27th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I agree with strasmangelo jones - Obama appearing on al-Jazeera would have said “change we can believe in”. Appearing on al-Arabiya is a big zero.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
““I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.” In other words, I’m one of you.”
Heh. Funny that Obama’s campaign went out of the way to say the opposite thing during the campaign (e.g., “Obama is not a Muslim!”) and even made sure that Muslim supporters with headscarves didn’t appear to prominently in any press photos.
“A blockade is an act of war.”
Right, which is another reason we should demand that our Arab “allies” like Saudi Arabia drop their economic boycott against Israel, in the name of peace.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Re Fred
Come on Fred, President Osama did not say, “I am one of you.” That was added by Ms. Marie Burns.
January 27th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
The other issue about Obama bringing up his Muslim family members is that he doesn’t seem to be very close with his extended family. Not surprising since his polygamous father had children with so many women that it’s hard for Obama to keep track of all of his half-siblings (not to mention aunts, like the one here illegally who’s about to be deported).
January 27th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Wow! Someone stupid enough to think that saying “Obama is not a Muslim” is the same as denying that Obama has Muslim relatives.
And if Saudi Royal Navy was physically blockading Isreali ports, instead of just refusing to do business with Isreal, there might be a point somewhere in there.
January 27th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Obama had no relations with his father while growing up. Obama’s extended family lives in Kenya. Obama had zero knowledge of Kenyan culture until he became an adult. How do you expect him to be close with his Kenyan family? It’s to his credit that he’s reached out to them.
January 27th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Not pretending to be at war with the Arab and/or Muslim world over irreconcilable differences for our very existence is progress.
January 27th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Is Al-Arabiya really a Saudi station? From what I can tell, Saudis own a plurality of the network, but not a majority. Al-Arabiya is based in Dubai, and it seems to put out coverage consistent with Dubai politics. It’s similar to Gulf News. It’s certainly not as credible as Al-Jazeera, but Obama would catch a lot of hell for appearing on Al-Jazeera. In a few years, I’m sure he’ll do it. But it’s too early for that now.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Plus, Fred is too stupid to know the difference between an economic boycott and a blockade.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
By the way, the ships the US Navy is now blockading from Gaza are Iranian ships.
Meaning we’re just a short way from a war with Iran because we’re blockading Iranian ships in international waters - which is an act of war.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
He didn’t bring up Muslim in the election because he knew about racist cunts like you Fred.
Four years yet little man. How much more bitterness can you build up?
the black man held you down!
hahahahaha
January 28th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Fred’s point about the Arab economic boycott of Israel is valid.
The Arab economic boycott began as one way to strangle the nascent State of Israel into collapse if outright military aggression didn’t work. Why, even a Leftist could reasonably infer that the Arab discrimination is collective punishment against the many hundreds of thousands of dispossessed refugees Jews from Arab lands. That’s Arab double-dip persecution.
On the other hand, the US Navy is well within its rights to stem the flow of weapons, whose sole purpose is to slaughter Israeli civilians, destined for a genocidal terrorist entity which controls territory which is not now nor has ever been a sovereign nation. I see no act of war by the US Navy; rather, i see life-saving interception of weapons from a terror-supporting regime (Iran) to the terrorist actors ceaselessly attacking a democratic US ally.
I’m down with that.
January 28th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Re Richard Steven hack
Anytime the whackjobs running Iran want to do something about it, I say bring ‘em on>
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