Why is it that U.S. Republicans have been complaining that Barack Obama failed to utter the word democracy in his speech to Muslims – and for that matter, has dropped the term ‘War on Terror’ altogether?
According to Philippe Coste, who writes for the French weekly L’Express, it’s simply this: they fail to grasp that President Bush rendered them counterproductive terms to use.
For L’Express, Coste writes in part:
“To be frank, U.S. Republicans have responded like frightened virgins, stigmatizing the absence of the term “democracy” from Obama’s speech. This shows a failure to grasp the degree to which since 2003, Iraq has distorted perceptions of the word in the Muslim world. Things have gone so far that the word is now synonymous with being a hypocritical pretext for imperialism.”
By Philippe Coste*
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
June 6, 2009
France – L’Express – Original Article (French)
Today’s New York Times’ editorial on the Cairo speech sums up perfectly the American perception of the event; it is a reflection of the great hope raised over the impact the address may have on the hearts and minds of Muslims:
“When President Bush spoke in the months and years after Sept. 11, 2001, we often – chillingly – felt as if we didn’t recognize the United States. His vision was of a country racked with fear and bent on vengeance, one that imposed invidious choices on the world and on itself. When we listened to President Obama speak in Cairo on Thursday, we recognized the United States.”
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