US President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in the White House have been surprisingly unremarkable; some may even describe them as disappointing. The first black president in US history was elected on a ticket that promised change, for the better, in dire times. His buoyant message had crossed barriers and inspired millions around the world.
But the pundits are divided. Obama has not moved fast enough to assert his promise of change. For Americans, the process of moving away from the Bush legacy of fear, corruption, financial collapse and failed policies has not been quick enough. For others, Obama is a victim of circumstances beyond his control. The financial crisis will take many months, maybe years, to blow over and the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan are so deep and complicated that no easy solution is available.
It’s time for a reality check in the tough world of competing nations, unfixable environmental problems, hopeless geopolitical challenges and pandemics. And Obama is human after all.
But it is not an entirely bleak picture. The rich nations of the world are taking action to contain the financial collapse and Washington is leading that effort. There are signs that the global recession may be bottoming off and that recovery could begin in a few months, much earlier than most have predicted. Aside from the ongoing crises in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and North Korea, there are no new wars being launched and diplomacy is replacing confrontation in the cases of Iran, Middle East peace and classical West-East rivalry. One could say that the mere departure of a neo-conservative hawkish administration in Washington has had a sedating effect on world affairs. If it was not for the global financial crisis President Obama’s hands in pushing forward with his ideas and new policies would be free.
Hillary Clinton is now the new face of America’s diplomacy. She is different in so many ways from her predecessor Condoleezza Rice, who had toed rigid and ideological lines on so many issues and failed to score on any important foreign policy challenge.
Obama has already altered America’s stand on many issues, beginning at home with the financial crisis and moving on to redefine US stand on Iran, Cuba, Russia, relations with Europe and many others. But his biggest flaw, some would say, is that he has failed to face head-on a single issue of real substance. We are yet to differentiate between Obama’s position on Iraq and that of his predecessor. On Iran there has been change but it is mostly symbolic. America is yet to engage with the Iranian regime. On Pakistan and Afghanistan the new administration is slowly rolling out a new strategy that would pave the way for concrete steps to salvage the governments in Islamabad and Kabul and set a path for tangible goals.
The Obama team has not been able to adopt a clear action plan on North Korea, which in the past months has reneged on most of its commitments to the international community and is dangerously escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Relations with Russia, although much warmer than before, remain bogged down over the issue of deploying America’s missile shield in Eastern Europe. Again, Obama and his deputies have failed to clarify their goals and initiate serious dialogue with Moscow.
In Iraq, America says it wants to pull out its troops but as the security situation worsens there is a clear lack of vision on how to deal with the aftermath of military withdrawal. Iraq is still a dangerous regional powder keg and the outlook for that country’s future and unity remains bleak.
Obama has sent reconciliatory messages to Tehran but we are still waiting for concrete steps to take place that would suggest a resolution to that country’s nuclear and regional ambitions. Iran is growing stronger and becoming more audacious in its plans. Diplomacy must provide a way out but the US has failed to move beyond an initial offer of peace and dialogue.
Middle East peace and the prospect of ending decades of Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands remains one of the biggest challenges ever to US diplomacy. In his recent meeting with Jordan’s King Abdallah, President Obama promised little more than what the Bush administration vowed to deliver over the past years.
With a right-wing government in Israel that is changing the rules of engagement with the Palestinians over peace, the situation had never looked more intractable. Obama will have to take a strong stand and force the hands of parties, including Israel’s, if his promise to fulfill the two-state solution is to be realized. This would be the ultimate litmus test for Obama’s foreign policy team. To turn his back on this decades-old conflict will prove to be a big mistake.
The message that King Abdallah carried to Washington on behalf of the Arabs is unambiguous. Failing to confront the challenges in occupied Palestine will have adverse effects on US-Arab relations. Furthermore, it will empower the radicals and complicate America’s mission in other areas of the region.
President Obama can still deliver on his promises. He has restored belief for millions around the world that America can be a good force of change. In many ways America remains the most influential country on earth. It can still dictate policies and introduce agendas. It is a country, which, unlike any other, can influence the course of history.
The president must decide that for change to take place risks will have to be taken. No change can ever come without bold initiatives and courageous moves. Obama’s historical triumph had a lot to do with courage and foresight. It is still possible to deliver both.
— Osama Al Sharif is a veteran journalist and commentator based in Jordan.
