Obama Responds to a Changing Mideast in Arab Spring Speech
Addressing the upheavals that have occurred and transformations still in progress in the Middle East (except for one notable omission), President Barack Obama put the big shifts that the Arab Spring brought in a broader context during a major speech on Thursday (more) UpdatedPresident Barack Obama put big shifts in a broader context during a major speech on the Middle East on Thursday .
Addressing the upheavals that have occurred and transformations still in progress in the Middle East (except for one notable omission), President Barack Obama put the big shifts that the Arab Spring brought in a broader context during a major speech on Thursday at the State Department.
It was no small feat, as the president was tasked with acknowledging America’s very active role in supporting (not to mention sparking) regime change in various nations — most prominently in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya — as well as quelling fears that his focus has become too global at the expense of the domestic. Oh, and while he was at it, he also took on the foundering Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations as he anticipated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit later in the week. And finally, there were these three highly significant words to acknowledge: Osama bin Laden. –KA
Read the full text of Obama’s speech here.
Update: Video added below.
The Washington Post:
Speaking at the State Department before an audience of U.S. diplomats, administration officials and foreign envoys, Obama made his first broad attempt to place the region’s wave of popular uprisings, which have swept away autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt and threatened several others, in the context of American interests and values. Aides said he felt it was important to address the armed rebellion in Libya, the uprising in Syria and the moribund peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
In addition to denouncing the repression of protests in Libya, Syria and Iran, Obama criticized U.S. friends in the region, notably Yemen and Bahrain, where demonstrations have been met with gunfire and arrests. He did not, however, mention Saudi Arabia, which brooks no political dissent and has sent troops to aid the beleaguered monarchy in neighboring Bahrain.
MSNBC:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Middle East
Washington torched the region and watched it burn through regime changes, Arab Spring, civil wars, and the regeneration of terror groups.
Middle East
With Bashar al-Assad out of the picture, can democracy finally prevail in this deeply divided nation?
His 30-year reign in unstable region came to an end in 2011 Arab Spring revolt, which has been followed by years of chaos and uncertainty.
Mass protests have reshaped Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria and Sudan, but you'd never know it from the coverage they've received in U.S. media.
Bodies irreversibly broken by global conflicts serve as an ongoing testament to war’s long legacy of destruction.
The U.S. has aligned itself with some of the worst actors in the Middle East. We'll be living with the consequences for years to come.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.