December 1st, 2009 by Jason

Michael Allen observes a “recent spate of articles” that suggest Arab democrats are losing faith in the Obama administration (also see our previous post). However, Marc Lynch takes issue with this line of reasoning. Lynch argues that while the Arab public is disappointed with President Obama, it is not for any reason to do with democracy promotion (or lack thereof). Lynch praises Obama for abandoning the “grand rhetoric” of the Bush administration that only raised expectations without delivering results.

In fact, Arabs are dismayed because they feel President Obama has not delivered on his promise to substantially change policy from the Bush administration.Specifically, they believe he has failed to deliver a settlement freeze, ameliorate conditions in Gaza, compel Palestinian reconciliation, close Guantanamo, withdraw from Afghanistan, and peacefully resolve the Iranian nuclear dilemma. Therefore, Lynch concludes that “Obama should deliver on his promises, not that he should abandon them, and that the Israeli-Palestinian track is for better or worse still what matters most in shaping Arab perceptions.”

Posted in Democracy Promotion, Israel, Palestine, Public Opinion, US foreign policy |