Barack Obama's election was celebrated throughout the Middle East. But enthusiasm could quickly turn to hostility if the new administration does not back up its rhetoric with concrete changes to U.S. Middle East policy on three key issues: Palestine, Iraq, and political reform.

The U.S. election was not merely a local affair as the world awaited its outcome with great intensity. The current U.S. election opened our eyes to the merits of American democracy in particular and those of Western democracy in general.