The election of an American president is truly a historical moment, and as such, it comes with great opportunities but also pitfalls that can and must be avoided. To America’s call of “Yes we can” we must reply with “Yes we must,” showing that Saudi Arabia, the Arab and Muslim world are ready to come forward and engage America not only on Middle Eastern issues, but on all the major global challenges we are facing together.
We must tell America’s charismatic new leader that we care deeply about where America is and what America does. After eight years of mistaken or unguided US policies we are glad to have an America that we can work with — an America that is signaling that it is willing to work with us. Yes, we must be prepared to turn a new page and adapt to the new political mood in the United States. Yes, we must open our arms and tell America and its young leader that our tears at his election were tears of joy marking a new beginning for us all.
President-elect Barack Obama’s story mirrors that of America itself. Born of mixed-race parents, he belongs not to a particular past but to the dream that he followed, to what he made of himself through hard work, skill and an ability to transcend himself. This is a man who, as a boy, dreamed with his eyes open, and succeeded against all odds. We must pay tribute to America for constantly reinventing itself, for surprising us and honoring its time-tested values.
The man many believed had no chance of overcoming the Clinton and Republican machines has won the presidency with gifts that are indeed rare in human beings. Those who listened to his acceptance speech in Chicago had a hard time keeping their eyes dry, and could not help but be reminded of Abraham Lincoln emerging from the same spot almost two centuries ago to bring needed changes in America. We must prepare to work with America with the same spirit of hope, determination and common sense that brought Barack Obama to where he is now. America is back in the business of being America, demonstrating the vision and optimism we had sorely missed in recent years. We should remain humble in our approach to the new America nonetheless, and remember that not everything will go our way.
There will surely be some disappointments, frequent divergences, and the issues that we must face together are far from easy. Rather than claim we have the solutions, we must work together in humility, and tackle the small problems first. Arabs will, of course, insist that achieving peace in the Middle East is the most pressing issue. China will say that the world economy, resources, and the markets it sells to require America’s attention first and foremost. Bankers in London will say that injecting money into their sector is key before addressing any other challenge. Everyone has their issue that they would like to see America’s new administration tackle as a priority but the reality is that we will have to work on them all at the appropriate pace, seeking and building common ground.
Yes, we must stop thinking that our problems are bigger than anyone else’s and all we need to do to resolve them is bring along our box of problems and solutions. First, we must identify what our problems really are. Then we must make an effort to put our own house in order. After that we can consult with America’s next administration, which will be seeking outside input and assistance, and become involved in working on solutions. Experts and accountants have failed us; let us work instead with those most affected as our new partners. The time has come for us all to make a fresh start. America has shown us that it is ready for this and that it wants to re-establish old friendships and trust.
This is not a time to dwell on the failures and mistakes of those who came before. We must show our people that their leaders can be trusted and, with some positive momentum and support, can achieve great things, as Barack Obama has already done. Let us assemble the energy and confidence that he has brought to his battle and work together with a rejuvenated America on laying this new road.
— Hassan Yassin is a Saudi businessman based in Riyadh and former head of The Saudi Information Office in Washington, D.C.
