As far as the Arab world is concerned, Obama’s election has brought cautious optimism. But there is another narrative that has been emerging that Moderate Voice readers may have noticed if you have been following our recent posts from the Arab world.
Over the weekend, from Le Quotidien d’Oran of Algeria, we posted Obama: Dreams and Reality for Arabs, which said in part:
“It is said that in the first few months of his presidency, America’s new head of state plans an address to the Islamic world to dispel any idea of a clash of civilizations. The intention is a good one, but any speech will ring hollow as long as the Israeli lobby continues to dictate American foreign policy toward the Arab world. It’s difficult to forget Obama’s speech to AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee], when he practically pledged allegiance on the very day he won the Democratic Party nomination. In this act of allegiance, one could take the measure of a system in which the Zionist lobby is very powerful. Another reason not to succumb to Obamania.”
Earlier from Yemen, we posted: Arabs Should Not Pin Their Hopes on Obama – Or McCain.
Today from Kuwait, we have posted the most pessimistic article yet, which contains yet another meme that has emerged over the past few days: That Obama’s choice for chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, is everything from simply ‘bad’ because he’s Jewish to a Mossad agent because he was once an Israeli Defense Force volunteer.
“Since the day he announced his candidacy to win the Democratic Party nomination, Barack Obama was largely applauded …We saw nothing but his skin color and his father’s name (Hussein) … Even editors at our newspapers have waxed poetically, talking sweetly of the ‘Brown Knight'”
“America’s policy, particularly in regard to us, will not change, neither during the era of Obama or his successor in four or eight years.”
By Adnan Hussein
Translated By Nicolas Dagher
November 8, 2008
Kuwait – Awan – Home Page (Arabic)
We always do it … voluntarily, without being pressured or dictated by anyone. We increase the amount and sometimes we increase it a lot … We raise our expectations … We transform dreams and hopes into expectations … We build on no solid basis and at best we build on sand.
We repeat it with every U.S. election … We Arabs applaud the newcomer to the White House … We often do this as a retribution against the one leaving office who during his presidency, we accepted like bait put on the hook with our own hands. But not long after the new president arrives we discover that we’re kings of illusion as well as kings of impotence … Isn’t that what happened with Clinton?
Since the day he announced his candidacy to win the Democratic Party nomination, Barack Obama was largely applauded …We saw nothing but his skin color and his father’s name (Hussein) … Even editors at our newspapers have waxed poetically, talking sweetly of the “Brown Knight” as though he was Antara Bin Chaddad reborn.
[Editor’s Note: Antara bin Shaddad was born in 5th century Arabia. He was a pre-Islamic Black poet and warrior and is regarded in the Arab world as the archetypal warrior.]
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