,
13 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
A few thoughts on Secretary Pompeo's Speech in Cairo today state.gov/secretary/rema…
The overall theme of truth telling is important and one that many shy away from in Washington. It is important to tell the audience what America thinks and believes and not what we think they want to hear.
The American story in the Middle East is a long one and complex. Often people approach it only in the framework of politics and especially the Palestinian Israeli Conflict. This is wrong and Pompeo rejected that.
US ME story is indeed symbolized by the American University in Cairo & other such education ventures in the region, by its role in liberating North Africa from the Nazis, from defeating ISIS, from forcing Britain out of Egypt, even by Confederate officer in Ismail army in 1870's
If ME regimes hide such stories from their people. if ideological currents from Arab Nationalists to Islamists deny it, it is important that this truth be told. America is no charity organization, but yes America is a force for good in the Middle East
Second theme is of course the criticism of Obama's approach. I have written a long essay on the subject for @HooverInst hoover.org/research/folli… so no need to repeat it all here again
It is often ignored in D.C. that both Obama's actions & inactions had an impact. To cite one example: the acceptance of the Muslim Brotherhood as a political actor without demanding any concessions. It is doubtful the events of the last few years in Egypt would have been the same
Third theme "Our eagerness to address only Muslims and not nations ignored the rich diversity of the Middle East and frayed old bonds." The second half of fraying old bonds has been noted numerous parts before, but the first "ignored the rich diversity" is vital & was ignored
Obama came to Cairo and spoke infront of Egyptians, but he ignored them, he spoke past them to an imaginary Muslim Umma. Obama is hardly the only one to blame here. The ME is approached both in policy circles and academic ones as Arab/Muslim lands
This is wrong factually and results in bad policies. The ME is a land of diverse populations; of Arabs, Kurds, Amazigh, Copts, Yazidis, Assyrians, Syriac, and hundreds of other groups of all stripes.
Who in Washington even realizes that in the Arabian Peninsula there exists a language that is older than Arabic and still spoken today? This diversity should be the source of great pride and a great asset for advancement. That should be the core of the U.S. message to the region.
This is why I insist in the course I teach on Political Thought in ME to include Kurdish, Coptic, Assyrian, Shiite, Druze, Amazigh, Alawite political thoughts and identities after examining works of Gabarty, Tahtawi, Afghani, Abdu, Reda, Taha Hussein and countless others
For a smart and opposing view on what Pompeo should have said read @danielbenaim & @Katulis newrepublic.com/article/152865…
