
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.

Arab regimes have shown an extraordinary ability to renovate and develop their instruments of authoritarian rule. Despite moments of public activism and the relative rise in demand for democracy in many Arab countries in recent years, ruling elites have not lost their grip on public affairs and have proven in the final analysis that they alone control the direction and substance of policy.

Observers in the Middle East will scrutinize President-elect Barack Obama's early speeches for hints on the new administration's policy in the region. Given the complexity of conflicts in the region, President-elect Obama should be clear and modest in his approach but should nonetheless articulate principles that will underlie the U.S. approach.

The Israeli attack on Gaza is a tragedy for Palestinians and a high-risk enterprise for Israel, but the ongoing conflict also has worrisome implications for Egypt, which shares an unhappy border with the embattled territory.

Moderate Islamist movements that have adopted the strategic option of taking part in official political life in the Arab world are up against a range of ideological and tactical obstacles associated that help limit the degree of their commitment to democratic standards and processes.

European priorities for Middle East policy include greater engagement with the Arab-Israeli peace process and with Iran. The advent of a new U.S. administration and greater diplomatic engagement by Arab states offer the hope of new approaches and possibilities for cooperation.

Despite limited electoral success, Islamist movements in the Middle East have failed to influence policy and are criticized by their base for abandoning their religious commitments. Marina Ottaway and Amr Hamzawy explain that Islamist movements must convince their supporters that political participation is the best long-term means to affect government despite seemingly poor short-term gains.

The Democrats’ landslide victory over their Republican opponents in house and senate races and Obama’s seizure of the White House represent a harsh indictment of Bush’s presidency, one that has seen the highest disapproval ratings (71 percent) recorded by Gallup. Will the Democrats’ victory in 2008 mark an ideological transformation similar to the one initiated by Reagan’s election in 1980?

Amid the overwhelming popular enthusiasm and unprecedented media coverage in the Arab world that accompanied the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, the Carnegie Middle East Center provided an open forum for distinguished Arab observers to share their thoughts on future American policies in the Middle East.

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.