Egyptians set the stage for Obama address
The people of Cairo have some ideas about what the U.S. president should tell the Muslim world this Thursday.
“He must address the Israeli-Palestinian crisis because it’s the most important issue in the region,” Ahmed Ibrahim, a veteran taxi driver in Cairo.
Others have listed Iraq, Sudan, and terrorism as top priorities. Sudan, of course, lies just south of Egypt and political instability there has led refugees to flee to Egypt.
Obama will also have the opportunity to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak was scheduled to visit the U.S. last week but abruptly canceled his trip in the wake of his grandson's death.
Mubarak has been mostly mum about the new American president, but many suspect that the Egyptian leader, who had a cold relationship with former president George W. Bush, would like to develop warmer ties with Obama. Various deputies, speaking on Mubarak's behalf, have been quick to laud Obama's trip.
Not everyone in Egypt, though, is so enthusiastic about Obama’s visit.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the leading Islamist party that, though officially banned, holds roughly a fifth of the seats in the parliament, has taken a skeptical stance on the visit.
In a recent interview with GlobalPost, Essam el Erian, one of the movement’s leaders, brushed aside Obama’s trip, saying it lacked substance.
“With regard to Obama’s slogan of change,” he said, “so far we haven’t seen any change: the American soldiers are still in Iraq, the U.S. is supporting the Pakistani government … And there is still the Palestinian case. We will not ignore the right of return issues and the removal of all the settlements.”
The Obama administration's decision to stick with Egypt as the stage from which to address the Arab world is not without diplomatic risk. The most populous Arab country has this year seen its fortunes as traditional regional leader fade after it supported the Israeli-led, U.S.-backed bombardment and blockade of Gaza earlier this year.
Egypt, which has been at peace with Israel for over 30 years, is no longer widely thought to be a credible mediator in the wake of the Gaza conflict, and some have questioned its ability to be a leader in an Obama-led Arab-Israeli peace process.
“After the Gaza war, Egypt’s position was very bad. But Egypt can recapture the role by working on Palestinian-Hamas-Israeli negotiations. It’s starting to come back now,” Rashwan said.
The Egyptian regime, too, will be hoping to bask in Obama’s reflective popularity. It could use the boost.
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