Obama's Al-Arabiya Interview: Amazing

(Addendum: for those who don't know his background, here's a little bit more on George Mitchell, who was instrumental in brokering peace in Northern Ireland. Full bio.

He was born on Aug. 20, 1933, in Waterville, Me., where his father was a janitor at Colby College and his mother worked nights in a textile mill to support their five children. His mother was an immigrant from Lebanon, and his father, an orphan of Irish ancestry, was raised by a Lebanese family./In his youth,  Mr. Mitchell served as an altar boy in the Arabic-language Maronite Catholic church in Waterville, and in later years said he still retained a few words of Arabic.

Yesterday, President Obama gave an interview to Al-Arabiya TV. I went there as soon as I heard the news, this morning, and read the full transcript and I am quite astounded - I thought he might gradually move toward articulating this position, but for him to state it right at the outset signals an entirely new start, coming from a deep understanding of the region and the interrelationships between the conflicts we're seeing. It also takes a lot of courage, because there is going to be serious blow-back against this approach, both domestically and from the hardliners in Israel. Internationally, I think we will see relief, and skepticism that will gradually be won over - the comments following the transcript are interesting in that regard. If he can hold to this approach, it will defuse the power of the nay-sayers and of the extremists. Personally, I am thrilled both by what is being said here, and by the timing of this interview and Mitchell's immediate deployment and the signal these actions give. It's the best we could hope for.

I'd urge anyone who is interested to read the entire transcript on Al-Arabiya's English language website.

(excerpt)

THE PRESIDENT:...And so what I told him (George Mitchell) is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating -- in the past on some of these issues --and we don't always know all the factors that are involved. So let's listen. He's going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response.

Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table.

And it's going to be difficult, it's going to take time. I don't want to prejudge many of these issues, and I want to make sure that expectations are not raised so that we think that this is going to be resolved in a few months. But if we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States -- working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab states in the region -- I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress...

I do think that it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what's happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan.

These things are interrelated. And what I've said, and I think Hillary Clinton has expressed this in her confirmation, is that if we are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world, that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.

Q: Will it still be possible to see a Palestinian state -- and you know the contours of it -- within the first Obama administration?

THE PRESIDENT: I think it is possible for us to see a Palestinian state -- I'm not going to put a time frame on it -- that is contiguous, that allows freedom of movement for its people, that allows for trade with other countries, that allows the creation of businesses and commerce so that people have a better life.

And, look, I think anybody who has studied the region recognizes that the situation for the ordinary Palestinian in many cases has not improved. And the bottom line in all these talks and all these conversations is, is a child in the Palestinian Territories going to be better off? Do they have a future for themselves? And is the child in Israel going to feel confident about his or her safety and security? And if we can keep our focus on making their lives better and look forward, and not simply think about all the conflicts and tragedies of the past, then I think that we have an opportunity to make real progress.

Q: President Bush framed the war on terror conceptually in a way that was very broad, "war on terror," and used sometimes certain terminology that the many people -- Islamic fascism. You've always framed it in a different way, specifically against one group called al Qaeda and their collaborators. And is this one way of --

THE PRESIDENT: I think that you're making a very important point. And that is that the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name.

And so you will I think see our administration be very clear indistinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda -- that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it -- and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop. We can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down.

But to the broader Muslim world what we are going to be offering is a hand of friendship...

READ FULL TRANSCRIPT

Comments

[elizabeth]

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."

Absolutely key, to me, is this positioning of the US as a (previously, potentially) anti-colonial or even postcolonial power. He was playing with this in the inaugural too, I think, with the references to the early days when "the outcome of our revolution was in doubt." It's hard to take it very seriously, with the empire of bases scattered across the globe unchanged, but even a rhetorical gesture is something to start working with, words we can try to make more real.

It's also nice--after his timidity on the subject during the campaign--to hear him speaking openly and warmly about his Muslim relatives and his years living in the Islamicate world.

[Anne Gibert]

The interview was good. I watched it and read the entire transcript. Obama is reasonable, intelligent, firm and cautious. At the same time he is not afraid to say things that will be controversial, or to take bold actions. I worry about some of the comments that represent the old fanatical unthinking positions on both sides. What is to be done about those who continue to think that way?

[Cat B]

Thank you, Beth. Listening and respect. That's a radical change. Amen.

[dale]

Damn it's weird, having people who sound like grown-ups in the White House. I just can't get used to it.

[Dick]

To jump from one moving train onto another takes pluck. If the target one is going in the opposite direction, it takes courage of a rare order. Am I going to have to abandon four decades of profound scepticism?

[Rachel Barenblat]

I just went to whitehouse.gov and sent a message to the President saying that, as a rabbinic student and an ardent Jew, I thank him both for the fact of this interview and for the things he said during the interview. (I imagine he's going to get a lot of flack from the AIPAC crowd; I want him to know that there are Jews out there who deeply support the positions he's taking. Support, hell; I'm so grateful I could cry.)

[Anna]

Absolute breath of fresh air: well said and well done Obama! I couldn't believe what I was hearing because my ears are so weak and tired of receiving the usual uninformed, unhelpful, uneducated, arrogant tat - I nearly cried tears of joy and relief. Here in the UK, people are just so bloody grateful for his existence.

[Anna]

Oops, meant to say though, that India should have been included in the whole peace talks enterprise (as was the new government's original intention).

[Anna]

Felt a real disappointment this morning hearing on BBC Radio 4 that even after Obama went personally to speak to the House Republicans (and listen seriously to their ideas and thoughts on the issue) that not a single one found it within themselves to rise above partisan politics as usual and thrill not just the US but the world! What an opportunity Obama gave the Republicans to rise above the politics as usual: he'll probably get a better result with the Iranians.

[Priscilla]

Hello good people: I'm really amazed that you are so impressed by this. Obama talks as if the US weren't a major player in the conflict but it is (massive aid to Israel). He feels bad for Palestinian suffering but isn't willing to actually do anything to stop Israel's criminal actions. He hasn't uttered a critical peep about what Israel has been doing to Gaza.

George Bush also liked to tell Muslims that the US isn't their enemy. That really doesn't count for much in the long run since he is willing to be silent about Gaza and the settlements, to bomb Pakistan, and to escalate in Afghanistan. Yes he is doing some good things. Mitchell is a good choice. But Obama needs to ACT on the basis that ALL people are of equal value and that ALL governments should be held to the same standards of justice. I do not see any signs of that. He wants aid to Gaza; oh they need it, but the reason they need it is because they can't get justice.

Here is Chomsky on Obama's stance on Gaza:

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/1/23/noam_chomsky_obamas_stance_on_gaza

[beth]

Dear Priscilla - you are right, and I agree with you. Obama's silence on Gaza and on Israel's criminality does nothing; in fact, words do nothing. All of us for whom this is a central issue are impatient - desperate, even - for action. What I'm reacting to is the fact that the rhetoric is subtly changing, and the fact that this is an intelligent man who knows he cannot come out, in the AIPAC-reality of today's Washington D.C., and do an overnight about-face on these policies. Maybe he never will, but there is a chance now that hasn't been there for a decade. Obama was a friend of Rashid Khalidi. He listened to him and read his books. He is not the same sort of person as Bush/Cheney at all, nor is he a puppet for Israeli policies, with an administration full of neocons who used to work for the Israeli lobby or defense interests. We have to give him a chance.

Thanks a lot for your comment, and I hope you'll keep reading and writing your opinions here.