When US President Barack Obama made it to the White House eight years ago, many were delighted over his election as was reflected by analyses and reports.
At that time, I had cautioned them against being overoptimistic.
And today people are once again making predictions about President-elect Donald Trump too quickly. It is too early to issue gloomy predictions. Once again, I urge all such people not to sink into pessimism. We should not forget that the United States is a country with strong state institutions. The state’s affairs will continue as usual, however, decisions will be taken in the light of the new developments.
The president-elect would then act in accordance with his country’s interests and his actions will set him apart from his predecessor, Obama. Undoubtedly, there will be some necessary changes but we should not expect a very drastic shift in the United States’ foreign policy.
Trump has already won the election, and it is very unlikely to hear anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant comments from him now.
After two months, he will occupy the Oval Office and assume his duties as the president of the United States. The Middle East’s accumulated problems will occupy a major part of his agenda. These issues include the ongoing Syrian conflict, interference of foreign powers, like Iran and Russia, in the Arab world, wars in Yemen and Libya, refugee crisis, the Palestinian cause, and — above all — the war on terror.
In the past, the Middle East used to be a one-issue region. However, now it has become the most dangerous place on earth. It has become an out-of-control spot that is plagued by several crises. So, will he swerve from Obama’s approach? Perhaps he will, especially regarding issues that his predecessor failed to address, or those issues, which threaten the interests of the US or its allies, or issues related to international (power) balances.
Those people in our part of the world, who have been brainwashed by the presidential campaigns’ propaganda into believing that Trump is against Muslims, should consider two important things: Trump’s own life story and the system of the American state, its constitution and strong judiciary.
The president-elect has a long personal record of interactions with Muslims, which is free from racism or enmity. He never got involved in political or media campaigns against any Muslim, whether inside or outside the US, even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
At the same time, his stance against Islamists who adopt terrorist and extremist ideologies should not be regarded as racist, because we, the moderate Muslims, also hold similar views about extremists. We should understand that his anti-extremists statements have been wrongly portrayed as anti-Muslim rants. It is all part of propaganda by groups that promote terrorism for political gains.
Arab governments should be well prepared to contact the new administration and deal perfectly with the United States, a superpower that has the ability to ensure stability in the region. In addition to that we should not blame Washington for our problems. We should not ignore the fact that most of the current regional problems are the result of our own decisions and actions, and we still have solutions for the majority of these problems.
In later articles, I will try to explore the potential stances of the president-elect on our issues, because most of the events are changing but correlated. Undoubtedly, the upcoming Trump’s era will be more decisive and dangerous than Obama’s eight-year tenure that is coming to an end.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran and internationally acclaimed columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel and former editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
* Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat
At that time, I had cautioned them against being overoptimistic.
And today people are once again making predictions about President-elect Donald Trump too quickly. It is too early to issue gloomy predictions. Once again, I urge all such people not to sink into pessimism. We should not forget that the United States is a country with strong state institutions. The state’s affairs will continue as usual, however, decisions will be taken in the light of the new developments.
The president-elect would then act in accordance with his country’s interests and his actions will set him apart from his predecessor, Obama. Undoubtedly, there will be some necessary changes but we should not expect a very drastic shift in the United States’ foreign policy.
Trump has already won the election, and it is very unlikely to hear anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant comments from him now.
After two months, he will occupy the Oval Office and assume his duties as the president of the United States. The Middle East’s accumulated problems will occupy a major part of his agenda. These issues include the ongoing Syrian conflict, interference of foreign powers, like Iran and Russia, in the Arab world, wars in Yemen and Libya, refugee crisis, the Palestinian cause, and — above all — the war on terror.
In the past, the Middle East used to be a one-issue region. However, now it has become the most dangerous place on earth. It has become an out-of-control spot that is plagued by several crises. So, will he swerve from Obama’s approach? Perhaps he will, especially regarding issues that his predecessor failed to address, or those issues, which threaten the interests of the US or its allies, or issues related to international (power) balances.
Those people in our part of the world, who have been brainwashed by the presidential campaigns’ propaganda into believing that Trump is against Muslims, should consider two important things: Trump’s own life story and the system of the American state, its constitution and strong judiciary.
The president-elect has a long personal record of interactions with Muslims, which is free from racism or enmity. He never got involved in political or media campaigns against any Muslim, whether inside or outside the US, even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
At the same time, his stance against Islamists who adopt terrorist and extremist ideologies should not be regarded as racist, because we, the moderate Muslims, also hold similar views about extremists. We should understand that his anti-extremists statements have been wrongly portrayed as anti-Muslim rants. It is all part of propaganda by groups that promote terrorism for political gains.
Arab governments should be well prepared to contact the new administration and deal perfectly with the United States, a superpower that has the ability to ensure stability in the region. In addition to that we should not blame Washington for our problems. We should not ignore the fact that most of the current regional problems are the result of our own decisions and actions, and we still have solutions for the majority of these problems.
In later articles, I will try to explore the potential stances of the president-elect on our issues, because most of the events are changing but correlated. Undoubtedly, the upcoming Trump’s era will be more decisive and dangerous than Obama’s eight-year tenure that is coming to an end.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran and internationally acclaimed columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel and former editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
* Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat
