When change came to the White House last Tuesday, as Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, this unique man took it upon himself to call for taking responsibility and "setting aside childish things", asserting that America during his presidency will not seek isolationism but will take the responsibility of world leadership. He extends his hand but only if the hand that meets it is not a clenched fist.
He called for understanding and cooperation, but promised those who do not speak this language and instead resort to violence and terrorism that "we will defeat you". He made the world hold its breath, and yet, to the same extent, what amazed the world was America's uprising against itself and against its racism, in what is almost a civil revolution in which not a bullet was fired, even when a million and a half people gathered in the freezing cold for long hours to catch a glimpse of history. And the new president did not fail to remind the American people of their right to happiness. He spoke to them of challenges, difficulties and the necessity to overcome divisions and to continue to create change, with sacrifices and responsibility. He spoke to Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of different other religions, and also to "non-believers", without accusing anyone of "heresy", unlike many in the Muslim world. The Muslim world in fact partially produced this man, considering that his father is a Muslim from Kenya.
Obama honored the American people, who gave him the chance to lead and to create change, amidst music, songs, poetry, dancing and overwhelming popular joy, doubtless arousing jealousy in the hearts of the different peoples of the world. What if the Arab region became jealous? What if the fever of peaceful change were to spread to the different countries of the Middle East? For instance to Palestine and Israel, where violence, terror and military brutality have led to killing more than 1300 people and wounding five thousand, including a high rate of civilians and especially innocent children, as well as the random destruction of homes and infrastructures in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli war machine. What the new US President expects from the world is nearly of the utmost simplicity, and to it he carries the message that the miracle of change is not impossible. What the world expects from Barack Obama, on the other hand, needs to be sorted out anew, starting with changing the prevalent belief that local change comes only from the US, and ending with reconsidering all the formulas based on false assumptions and a misinterpretation of who Obama is and of what the principles that rule his heart and mind are.
On his first day in the White House, the new president sent many important messages in bold letters to the Middle East and the Muslim world. The first telephone calls he made were to Middle Eastern leaders, and the first measures he took concerned the fate of US troops in Iraq, as well as suspending military trials at the controversial Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp for a period of 120 days, in hopes of shutting it down within a year. The first officials he appointed included a Special Envoy for the Middle East peace process (George Mitchell), another envoy in charge of the issues of Afghanistan and Pakistan (Richard Holbrooke) and yet another in charge of the issue of Iran (Dennis Ross).
The importance of his message to the Middle East in general and to the parties of the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular lies in his making his first telephone calls to President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Jordanian Monarch King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. This means that President Barack Obama has purposely given a momentous drive to the ranks of Arab moderation by contacting moderate leaders and not the leaderships that oppose moderation, particularly Syria, despite the fact that it is a direct party in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The fact that Obama addressed President Mahmoud Abbas and gave such importance and priority to the Palestinian Authority is of a significance the many aspects of which must not be overlooked, as it declares that the Palestinian people are represented by the Palestinian Authority. His contacting the Jordanian Monarch also has a particular significance, as part of what is behind it is directed at Israel, informing it that the US President is committed to respecting Jordan, its sovereignty and security. This is important in view of Israel's hidden objectives of making Jordan the alternative nation for the Palestinians. Certainly Gaza was a major role element behind his eagerness to address this issue on his first day in the White House. Perhaps what is in the mind of Obama the President is to inform those who doubted him as President-Elect that he did not evade the issue, but rather acted wisely by not tackling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict too soon, although he has noted Israeli violations of international law and its use of white phosphorus against civilians.
Israel rushed - before the new US President takes office - to wage a wretched military operation against Gaza aimed at teaching lessons not just to the leaderships of Hamas and Hezbollah, but also to the civilians in Gaza, or in Beirut's Southern Suburb, that it will not hesitate to respond with terrifying brutality anywhere to any rocket that is fired at it. In other words, Israel's government has decided to make the inhabitants of Gaza pay for electing Hamas, for being silent about its rocket attacks and hiding it among the civilian population. The message has reached the inhabitants of Beirut's Southern Suburb, who have realized that any rocket fired by Hezbollah against Israel will bring on them the same devastation it has brought down on the inhabitants of Gaza. This may be one of the reasons behind Hezbollah settling for condemning the silence of others over Israel's massacres in Gaza and refraining from using its rockets. Hamas has seen Hezbollah outbid it on the issue of the ceasefire, Syria host its leaders while keeping the Golan front sealed, and Iran restrict itself to eloquent speeches.
Everyone had been taking into account the timing of Obama's inauguration. Israel has imposed a de facto situation and taught some hard lessons, then made sure to pull its troops out of Gaza before Obama swears the oath of office. Arab reconciliations nearly started a new chapter of real change in the Middle East on the eve of Obama becoming President - had not certain states returned to their customary practices, nipping optimism in the bud.
The fundamental disagreement between the camp of moderation and that of those who oppose it at this point in time is, very simply, a disagreement on the principle of the two-state solution, and a disagreement on supporting Hamas versus supporting the Palestinian Authority. Syria and Qatar are trying to do away with the Arab Peace Initiative launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to cleave the consensus the initiative obtained at the Beirut Summit in order to weaken it before Israel, which is under international pressures to accept it. In other words, Israel, which seeks to evade the Arab Peace Initiative, is being supported in this from the ranks of Arab non-moderation such as Syria and Qatar. Iran also benefits from doing away with the initiative, as it removes from the negotiating table an Arab stance meeting international support and led by a country with the weight of Saudi Arabia.
President Barack Obama seems determined to cling to the two-state solution, especially as he has chosen former Senator George Mitchell - who had previously put forth the most wide-ranging and comprehensive document for the two-state solution in 2001 - as Special Envoy for the peace process in the Middle East. Mitchell had tackled this issue after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, as Special Envoy of President Bill Clinton, and had presented a report which had met with Israel's contempt, including for its practical and realistic suggestions for a solution. Perhaps behind the choice of Mitchell for the post at the onset of Obama's presidency lies a message to all those concerned that what is new is the way the new US President will deal with this old issue. Had Obama chosen the man Bill Clinton put in charge of the peace process (Dennis Ross) for this post now, then his political message would have been completely different, knowing that Ross had been biased towards Israel, laid the blame solely on the Palestinian side, and participated in smashing Israel's "partner" in the negotiations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has repeatedly stressed on the centralization of US leadership and repeatedly wished for Obama to give the Middle East issue urgent priority. Russia is willing to work with the new president on this issue, as part of its desire to start a new chapter with his presidency. Europe would like to help, as it needs to re-form its ranks behind US leadership instead of the scattering it has fallen into, especially during the French presidency and its individual adventures in the direction of the ranks of non-moderation. Furthermore, the two latest UN Security Council Resolutions will help the new US President a great deal to build on the consensus over 1850 and the near consensus over 1860 - which in fact both stress the central role of the Arab Peace Initiative.
As for Dennis Ross, putting him in charge of the issue of Iran is a decision behind which also lie important political messages, one of them being Israel's interest in the issue of Iran, as Ross, who is close to Israel, would represent the channel of three-way understanding if there is agreement, or the channel of coordination in the face of escalation if things go towards confrontation and require punitive or military measures towards Iran.
The other issue which Richard Holbrooke should be in charge of is that of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Here too, the choice is very shrewd, not just because Holbrooke is extremely intelligent, but also because he is determined on diplomacy and capable of bearing the burden of the United States when addressing the leaders of Russia, China, India, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and when formulating strategies to address Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are replete with what remains of Al-Qaeda and extremism at the same time.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in turn a seasoned politician when it comes to foreign policy, which will be very prominent during Barack Obama's presidency. The men who were appointed as envoys will make sure not to leap over the former First Lady, because they understand very well that this not what Obama wants and yet also know that they are the envoys of the US President - and this strengthens US messages if Obama's team does a good job at coordinating efforts, far from personality clashes and battles of pride which do not agree with the promised era of change.
A touch of change appeared in President Obama's address, where he made sure not to repeat former President George W. Bush's famous expression of waging "war on terror". Indeed, this president has not come to the office burdened with the ideology of the previous administration. He has come with a new style of dealing with extremists who resort to violence and terrorism, to convince them to relinquish it. If this fails, "we will defeat you", as he told them, in case anyone is mistaken in interpreting the message, style and personality of the new president.
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