President Obama's Speech and Middle East Policy

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In The Media

President Obama's Speech and Middle East Policy

While President Obama’s speech on the Middle East expressed support for the dramatic changes going on in the region and compared those changes with the U.S. experience of nonviolent civil disobedience, it did not set out any bold policy shifts.

By Michele Dunne

Published on May 19, 2011

Source: CNN International

In his speech on the Middle East, President Obama expressed support for the dramatic changes going on in the Middle East and aligned these changes with U.S. values and America’s own history of nonviolent civil disobedience, explained Michele Dunne on CNN International. The president also announced a substantial aid package for Egypt and Tunisia. Ultimately, Dunne said that “the speech was more timid than it needed to be.” In reference to Palestine and Israel, President Obama did not indicate any movement by the administration to begin a new push for peace. Instead, Dunne said, the president favored an approach based around negotiating borders and security before turning to weighty issues like Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees, an approach that Israel favors. Dunne suggested that Obama’s phrasing “should pave the way for a smother visit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Political Reform Foreign Policy Middle East North Africa

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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