I excerpt some relevant items from the WaPo’s exhaustive questionnaire on foreign policy to Senator Obama. I highlight a few issues which I think are particularly relevant to the muslim-american political interest; the Israel-Palestine conflict is not among them.
Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy.
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If the interview is any indication, what he’s advocating bears more similarities to the Bush Administration’s policies than differences from those policies although what he advocates is quite a bit different from the way the Administation’s policies have been lampooned in the press and in various sectors of the blogosphere.
Note that his Iraq policy calls for all of the same objectives as are being pursued now with the exception of protecting ordinary Iraqi citizens. That’s the strategy that failed in 2006-2007 although it may well be the correct one in 2009.
Dave Schuler’s last blog post..Expectations of Reform
One more point. Practically since September 12, 2001 President Bush has been as clear as can be humanly possible that we aren’t at war with Islam. I honestly don’t think that any American president will be taken seriously by Muslims in the Middle East as long as we have military bases in the region which we’ll have for the foreseeable future.
Dave Schuler’s last blog post..Expectations of Reform
I would agree Dave. I found much to agree with (at least rhetorically) in the interview, which says that I share many end goals with Obama. What’s less clear is how we are going to get there. Lots of talk of creating a force to help do this, an NGO to do that, oh and we’ll close Gitmo to increase our standing in the world gets a few mentions. Plus, out of Iraq in 16 months. Seems to me that will very likely create a safe haven in Iraq – much like the one he is so concerned about in Pakistan so I don’t quite follow the logic.
I know Obama has Hope for America, but the world is a very dangerous place and with such little talk of how difficult these challenges are going to be to implement…. it leaves me wanting.
It is much like a typical leftist view on the economy, that jobs and wealth can simply be created at the stroke of a pen.
Otherwise though, take out the closing Gitmo and the out of Iraq in 16 months and it reads very much like a Bush speech.
Poonawalla? Is that your last name? When did you start using it?
La Ventanita’s last blog post..Words, Race and Politics
its not the same thing at all, dave.
this is a dem who’ll be doing it. the difference is huuuuuge.
urthshu,
it’s true. symbolically obama will get a clean slate from the international community simply for being not bush.
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