YORAM ETTINGER: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S VIRTUAL REALITY
President Obama’s Virtual Reality
Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4071786,00.html
On November 2, 2010, the US electorate decided that President Obama was
detached from domestic reality, and therefore dealt the Democratic Party a
devastating defeat in federal and state legislatures, as well as in
gubernatorial elections. In his May 19, 2011 speech on the Middle East, the
President proved himself detached from Middle East reality as well.
President Obama is determined to introduce democracy to Arab countries, in
spite of their 1,400 year old systemic track record of tyranny, terror,
political violence, uncertainty, volatility and treachery. He prefers the
virtual reality of the “Arab Spring,” rather than contend with the Middle
Eastern reality of the “Stormy Arab Winter.” Hence, he views the seismic
events rocking the region as “a story of self-determination” and is
convinced that “repression will not work anymore.”
Obama’s virtual reality leads him to compare the violent Arab Street to “the
defiance of those patriots in Boston who refused to pay taxes to a King, or
the dignity of Rosa Parks as she sat courageously in her seat.” Are the two
million Egyptians who assembled at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, cheering Sheikh
Kardawi, a top Moslem Brotherhood leader, following in the footsteps of
Patrick Henry and Martin Luther King???
President Obama offers to relieve “a democratic Egypt” of up to $1BN in debt
and to channel billions of dollars to Egypt and Tunisia, “the vanguard of
this democratic wave…, (which) can set a strong example through free and
fair elections, a vibrant civil society, accountable and effective
democratic institutions and responsible regional leadership.” He expects the
flow of aid to generate trade, entrepreneurship and a free market economy.
However, he downplays the absence of an appropriate infrastructure of values
and education in the Arab Middle East, which is a prerequisite for democracy
and a free market economy.
Obama has chosen to ignore in his speech clear and present threats to US
economic and national security interests – such as Iran’s nuclearization and
Islamic terrorism – while the “Arab Roller Coaster” runs uncontrollable and
Russia and China deepen their penetration of the Middle East. Furthermore,
the US is about to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, which could be
leveraged by rogue regimes, exacerbating regional violence, instability and
uncertainty.
In February, 2010, President Obama appointed a new ambassador to Damascus –
following four years of diplomatic absence – “because Assad could play a
constructive role in the Middle East.” So much for Middle East realism….
Persian Gulf leaders are traumatized by the Iranian threat, by domestic
upheaval and by a potential Iraqi “earthquake” in the aftermath of the US
departure, irrespective of the Palestinian issue. Other Arab leaders are
shaky in the face of lethal domestic turbulence, which are totally unrelated
to the Palestinian issue, to the Arab-Israeli conflict or to Israel’s
existence. But, Obama is convinced that “the conflict between Israelis and
Arabs has cast a shadow over the region.” Like a deer caught in a
headlights-look, the American president is glued to the Palestinian “screen
saver.” He is convinced that the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian
issue are a root cause of Middle East turbulence, the crown jewel of Arab
policy-making and a core cause of anti-US Islamic terrorism. Therefore, he
disregards the sweeping popularity of Bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein on the
Palestinian Street, the presence of Palestinian terrorists in Iraq and
Afghanistan, the track record of Abu Mazen in intra-Arab subversion and
terrorism and the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-US hate-education and
incitement in Abu Mazen-controlled education, the media and the clergy. He
also disregards the unprecedented Palestinian terrorism triggered by the
Oslo Accord, by the Israeli initiative to establish the Palestinian
Authority and by Israel’s withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and from 40%
of Judea and Samaria.
Obama pressures the Jewish State to partition Jerusalem and to retreat to
the 9-15 miles wide pre-1967 lines, in defiance of precedents which document
that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has never been over the size – but
over the existence – of the Jewish State. Thus, Obama radicalizes
Palestinian expectations and demands, distances them from – and replacing
them at – the negotiation table and signals to the Palestinians that
terrorism is rewarded. Therefore, he forfeits the role of an honest broker.
President Obama’s position is at odds with the majority of the American
people and most Democrats. It is out of step with most Senators and
Representatives, who are empowered to initiate, bloc, suspend, amend and
turn around policy. Therefore, Obama’s plan will not be implemented unless
the Jewish State wastes its substantial base of American support, submitting
itself to the pressure of a relatively-weak president, who is rapidly losing
the “Bin Laden bonus,” and increasingly requires congressional cooperation
in order to be reelected. In fact, it was the pressure by congressional
Democrats, which forced Obama – against his worldview – to declare in his
speech that “symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the UN in September won’t
create an independent state.” In other words, the United States will not
tolerate a Palestinian Tsunami in the UN in September.
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