By Abdel-Rahman Hussein
First Published: January 21, 2009
CAIRO: The inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black American president was a historic moment for the United States, but disparate political forces in Egypt are more interested in what he will do rather than what he says or symbolizes.
In his inauguration speech the new President did sound words of warning to dictatorships and those who rule their subjects with an iron fist.
He said, “To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”
“To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist,” he added.
And while it appeared that he had left an opening for dictators to renounce their ways, some believe that it is American support for dictatorships that help prop them up.
Gamila Ismail, wife of incarcerated former presidential candidate Ayman Nour, told Daily News Egypt, “I hope these are not just words and are transformed into genuine actions and policies. We don’t ask from American administrations or their representatives anything except to stop supporting dictatorships in the region and to be more interested in their principles rather than their interests.”
“This has to be reflected in their public and private support for them,” she added. “He [Obama] really has to stop backing dictatorships in the region and in Egypt must show he cares more about the people than the rulers.”
An indication of this, continued Ismail, will be whether the annual March visit of President Hosni Mubarak to the US is resumed after a hiatus under the Bush administration.
“That visit will be an indication. Receiving dictators in the White House after years of not receiving them will be interpreted as an indication that all this is just talk,” she said.
Obama’s inauguration speech did address the international community, making a specific reference to the Muslim world. In his speech the new President seemed to stress the point that under his tenure things would be done differently from the administration of his predecessor George W. Bush.
“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake,” he said.
“Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please,” he added.
And while that was repudiation of the Bush doctrine, what it will mean in practical terms is still a matter of conjecture.
“Optimism and pessimism about Obama which we speak of here is controversial,” editor-in-chief of the Coptic Christian Watani newspaper Youssef Sidhom told Daily News Egypt, “because it is wrong to judge his actions in the emotional way we often do here. It is wrong to assume that a president’s personality is the basis for the country’s policy.”
“For those who think that American policy will now change comprehensively, they are wrong, because American interests haven’t changed,” he added. “The research institutions that formulate American policy are still the same.”
Shoura Council member and Secretary of Youth at the ruling National Democratic Party Mohammed Heeba said that American policy would not change and that Arabs should focus on themselves more than waiting for hope from any American administration.
“US policy is based on projections that extend for decades, the people may change but the ideas are constant. Administrations might differ in their methods but the goals are one,” he told Daily News Egypt. “Arab countries should think about uniting in their stands so that it should not matter who is in the American administration.”
“However, if we keep dealing with the US separately then we will remain as we are,” he added.
In his speech Obama said, “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.”
He also said, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”
Head of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc Hussein Ibrahim told Daily News Egypt, “I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic about him, but I hope he undertakes serious efforts in regards to reaching out to the Muslim world, at least more than the Bush administration did. He did say he wants to reach out to the Muslim world and I hope he is true to his word.”
Sidhom said that just because Obama had Muslim roots, this did not mean a diametric shift in American policy in the region.
“Let us not talk of the naiveté that because he has ‘Hussein’ in his name then he must be a Muslim. If we have a deluded street that measures everything and everyone by how Islamic they are, we in the media should not propagate that,” he said.
“Obama has a lot of goodwill at the moment so maybe he can make use of it. We must not expect miracles but I don’t think there will be talks with Iran or a solution to the Palestinian issue during his reign. And we are not the priority as his statements made clear; he has an economic crisis that will take up most of his time,” Sidhom added.
It’s been two days, and thankfully the “Obamagasm” is already over in the Middle East – North Africa, or at least in Egypt. Having read and watched what some people had to say, particularly in Palestine (desperation, perhaps?) I was surprised, and disturbed, by the naivete of much of the commentary surrounding him, reflecting in many ways what some of his more worshipful followers in the States had been saying, though usually with some reference to his being Muslim thrown in. I am glad that at least some in Egypt have put this fairytale aside.
As Sidhom points out in the article, behind the face of Obama and his appointees are the same institutions and lobby groups upon which any president is almost entirely dependent for his survival. Obama spent over a billion dollars getting into office. That money came mostly from large groups and institutions, most of which also poured money into McCain’s campaign (just to be on the safe side). They want a return on their investment, otherwise, re-election campaign funds may not be so forthcoming.
For Egypt, and the whole region, whoever won it was always going to be “McSame” as far as America was concerned. Egypt is waking up to the new same old reality, which pleases me, for she is less likely to be seduced when sweet talk is seen as just that.
As for Heeba’s comments about Arab unity. It’s a common response to attempt to bring, dare I say it, change (?!) to the region, but it is not something history likes. There are reasons for this. Are Egypt’s interests truly the same as the interests of the UAE, or Kuwait, or Saudi Arabia? Where they are, then yes, there should be maximum unity, but the differences are also clear, and pretending that these other states will always support Egypt and her interests is to fall into the same trap some have with Obama. Ultimately, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh do not border Gaza, Egypt does. Abu Dhabi and Riyadh do not find their economy disrupted by US cotton subsidies and grain prices. Egypt does.
