CAIRO: A year ago Friday, President Barack Obama stood in
Cairo and vowed "a new beginning" in a speech about how he'd change
US relations with the Muslim world. Egyptian vendors sold T-shirts portraying
Obama in King Tut regalia, and Muslims throughout the region thrilled at his
middle name: Hussein.
Now, many Muslims in Egypt and the rest of the Middle
East say they're dismayed that the promise of the speech has fizzled into US
policy-as-usual toward the region: civilian deaths in Afghanistan, an unstable
Iraq, no pressure for reforms on Washington-friendly autocrats, no resolution
for Guantanamo prisoners and no end in sight for the Israel-Palestinian
conflict.
Israel's deadly raid in international waters on an aid
flotilla en route to break the siege on Gaza — and Obama's tepid response, in
comparison to the condemnation of other world leaders — cemented perceptions
for many of unconditional US support for Israel. Some Arab commentators and
bloggers said Obama no longer deserves his Nobel Peace Prize.
"His speech at Cairo University was wonderful and
raised hopes that America was on a real path to changing its policies," said
Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University, where Obama
spoke. "But Obama's practices afterward guaranteed that he is weaker than
he seemed during his speech."
Gallup surveys conducted between February and April of
this year showed a dramatic decline in Arab countries' approval ratings of the
US administration. In Egypt, where he delivered the speech, the poll showed
that Obama's popularity dropped by 18 percentage points. While some Middle
Easterners said it was unfair to judge the president so early on issues that
have persisted for decades, others said they definitely expected more in the
year since his oratory olive branch to Muslims.
"There were a lot of illusions about Obama because
he has African and Muslim roots," said Aya Mahmoud, 22, a student at Cairo
University. "Turns out the speech was all just hype."
The White House is well aware of the level of frustration
in the region, having monitored US policy steps since the Cairo speech as well
as how Muslims in the United States and abroad perceive those efforts.
Consulates and US embassies in various countries held
roundtables for months after the Cairo speech and forwarded input through the
State Department. The White House's Office of Public Engagement has sought
input from American Muslims. The administration monitors overseas press and
international polling.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told
McClatchy that roughly once a month, Obama also asks his staff specifically for
Cairo updates, to monitor progress.
"He said, 'I want to make sure that I'm keeping
promises I made in this speech.' He's said that to me, to several of us,
repeatedly," Rhodes said. "He knew this would raise expectations and
an ambitious series of goals. We knew what we were getting into."
So far, Rhodes conceded, "We've made progress on
some issues. We obviously have a lot further to go as well."
Rhodes touts being on target to remove combat troops from
Iraq this year and reshaping US rhetoric on Iran and Al-Qaeda so as not to
emphasize the Muslim religion. He also said the administration has expanded
education, science, business and technology outreach with Muslim nations as
promised.
The centerpiece of Muslim grievances remains the
long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was exacerbated by Israel's
continued construction of settlements on Palestinian lands, a key obstacle for
progress on peace negotiations.
Obama also wants more progress between Israelis and
Palestinians, Rhodes said, but believes he has made inroads and is committed to
the effort.
"None of us expected we'd resolve it within a year
of the Cairo speech," Rhodes said. Obama "doesn't give up on things
he really cares about, and this is one of those things."
Rhodes said Obama remains committed to closing
Guantanamo, a symbol of mistreatment for many Muslims, but couldn't give a
deadline.
The fatal Gaza flotilla confrontation has only hardened
many Muslims' anger toward Israel. Obama's been "too tolerant," said
Diaa Rashwan, an analyst at the Cairo-based Ahram Center for Political and
Strategic Studies, a state-backed research institute.
"The American administration's response was in no
way appropriate" Rashwan said. "It did not show its other allies how
much they cherish their relations. If the situation were reversed and Turkey
had attacked Israel, the American response would not have been so
passive."
Rhodes defended the White House stance. "There is no
zero-sum equation as it relates to America's support for Israel and its
security, and our outreach to the Muslim world and our support for Palestinian
aspirations," he said.
In Central Asia, US-led military operations in Afghanistan
and Pakistan have killed Muslim civilians, drumming up support for militants.
In Cairo, Obama pledged "to fight against negative
stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear." But many Muslims abroad feel
that religious discrimination persists. Even the crowning of a Miss USA of
Muslim and Arab descent — at first cheered on by fans in the Middle East —
turned sour when the beauty queen was accused of having ties to the Hezbollah
militant group.
May Meneisy, 21, a political science senior at Cairo University,
was in the audience for Obama's appearance last year and recalled him as
"charismatic and strong." She said there were more student exchange
programs and intercultural dialogues — the West was once again interested in
Egypt and other parts of the region.
"Unfortunately, this shift did not occur on the
political level as well."
