Granted this is a poll from 2009 and supposedly President Obama lost ground in his popularity in the Middle East, but, consider this...
Monday, May 11, 2009 - 1:30 PM
Posted By Blake Hounshell
...Notably, Egypt ranks dead last on both poll questions, but it's also the site of Obama's upcoming address to the Arab and Muslim worlds. The country is also the thankless recipient of billions in U.S. economic and military aid....
...would the populous throughout the Middle East believe they were 'safe enough' to carry out their protests if they knew a hostile USA would seek military retribution on the behalf of the current regimes in power in these countries?
I think not.
President Obama is withdrawing from Iraq. Seeks to end corruption, which Egypt is notorious for,...
...Egypt is a state where corruption (click here) is widely viewed as systemic, which is also why the crowd gets aggressive trying to buy up the subsidized bread. Cheap state bread can be resold, often for double the original price....
...in Afghanistan and is fighting the oppressive regime of the Taliban.
I remind, this unrest in the Middle East was begun by the 'ideals' of young men, the very young men that sometimes seek violence against others to resolve their anger. The cry of the young men was met with support by their female counter-parts, whom find economic survival very difficult when they are alone in the world. I believe there is a strong female component to this movement. But, there was also a rise in female martyrs under the Bush White House.
I believe President Obama has 'made the world' safer for 'the young people' of the Middle East to give their voice a life of its own. Whether he is given credit for this 'peace and freedom movement' or not; it cannot be denied that the USA under the Obama Administration has a far less threatening face to the people. They do not see Western retaliation or support for anything less than freedom. That is important. Very important if we are to believe every human life has the right to be free and make personal choices.
Denying the Taliban control of the social cultural content and government, while allowing their voice in participation, gives great hope to the women of the Middle East. When the USA first moved into Afghanistan following September 11, 2001 we witnessed a great deal of social upheaval when the men shaved their beard and women oopened beauty parlors and books were returned to the shelves of their university. The 'tone' of the USA toward this 'peace and democracy' movement is just as important as the movement itself and today the USA is not viewed by these movements as supportive of the regimes or a threat to change.
Turkey plays growing political role in Middle East (click here)
By Christopher Torchia
February 19, 2011 The call was a sign of Turkey's growing confidence and stature in the Middle East and beyond. Hobbled by economic and political chaos just a decade ago, Turkey is increasingly taking on the role of regional model, mediator and leader, with a solid economy and an evolving democracy. It has sought to balance many of the forces that shape, and shake, the region: The East and the West, Israel and Iran, religion and secularism.
As elections approach in June, results of a new Associated Press-GfK poll suggest that Turkey's government will pursue a path of relative pragmatism, despite fears of the influence of Islam on the state....
