It seems there is no limit to the extent of change in the US now that Barack Obama is president. Few, though, could have imagined when he campaigned with his cry, “Yes, we can,” it might include meaning, “Yes we can win international football matches.” But that is precisely what has happened. Wednesday’s victory in South Africa by the American football team over European champions Spain is one of the most remarkable results in football history. The Americans, until now seen as the joker in international football pack, not only put an end to Spain’s winning streak, they ensured themselves a place in the Confederations Cup final. Perhaps this well deserved victory is another sign that the US is joining in with the rest of us. Football is the game of the world. But Americans have always been bemused by it. For them it is a minority sport, something foreigners do — and because only foreigners do it, not worthy of great attention.
There are other signs of the US stepping off its high pedestal and joining the rest of the world as just an ordinary member of the international community. Resuming normal diplomatic ties with Syria, for example.
Relations between Washington and Damascus have fluctuated between poor and bad for years. The antagonism has been mutual, with Damascus loudly holding the Americans responsible for Israel’s brutality and Washington accusing the Syrians of sponsoring terrorism. The last American ambassador in Damascus was withdrawn and economic sanctions imposed by President George W. Bush after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. As late as just a year ago, with Washington charging Syria with allowing militants to cross over into Iraq, there was real fear that the US would follow up its disastrous policy in Iraq by trying to topple the government in Damascus.
The situation could not be more different today. While it would be naive to imagine that behind the scenes, Syrian has not taken steps to reassure American concerns, it is clearly Washington that is making the prime moves and reaching out to Damascus. This has to be seen in the context of President Obama’s re-engagement with the Arab and Muslims worlds after the disastrous Bush years. He fully understands that there can be no serious re-engagement, nor any chance of progress on Palestine, without involving Syria. Not that Washington is alone in this; France too has done a 180-degree turn in its relations with Damascus. But in America’s case, the enmity and the stakes were far higher, and the scale of the turnaround, therefore, that much more dramatic.
There are still sanctions, still concerns about Syrian regional policy. But the re-engagement with Syria is real and it is symptomatic of how deep a shift in attitude has occurred in Washington. It is now acting not as an imperial power cable of sending in the gunboats but as a partner willing to use its considerable influence to help. The perception of an aggressive America rampaging through the Middle East is subsiding.
Indeed, so much so that when the American football team play in today’s final in South Africa they may even be some Arabs raising a couple of cheers for them.
