Superpower Ltd.
Op-ed: Based on President Obama's previous term, his plan to focus on Arab-Israeli conflict is bad news for those seeking Mideast peace
Obama of 2013 is a realistic president: The words are big, the intentions small. Behind his celebratory speech before the UN General Assembly is a limited company that does not want to get involved in the wars of others. Obama's America is a limited company. It is willing to intervene and help, but only to a certain extent. The American messages cannot change the impression created following the "solution" to the Syrian problem. The US is dealing with its domestic issues. There is no good or bad, only good declarations or bad declarations.
In contrast to Obama's remarks, the world during his second term is more complex and dangerous. Fundamentalist Islam is gaining power, Muslims are butchering Muslims all across the Middle East, while poverty and backwardness have been the only things that have remained stable in the region since Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. In the battle of cultures over the values of liberty and progress, the West is retreating, and the American president's speeches are not changing this fact.
The American policy of focusing on domestic affairs is also evident when it comes to the Iranian issue. The possibility of using military force to terminate Iran's race towards a nuclear bomb is becoming more distant as Rohani comes closer.
In ancient Persian culture there are many tales about the power of seduction. Rohani is dancing and the king is enchanted. His words are pleasant to western ears. They remind the West of its lack of desire to confront. During the eight years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, intelligence agencies all over the world tried to determine just how much Iran's actions are based on logic. As Ahmadinejad's statements became increasingly extreme, it became easier to convince the western world to tighten the sanctions against him.
The West was seeking a way to avoid a confrontation, but Ahmadinejad only brought such a clash closer. The more he called for Israel's annihilation, the easier it became to expose Iran's involvement in global terror. Had Ahmadinejad acted moderately, a senior Israeli security official once said, the world would have rolled out a red carpet for him and allowed him do whatever he wanted behind the scenes.
Ahmadinejad's actions were irrational and made people wonder, but Rohani is acting by the book and is achieving results. In the near term, President Obama said, the US will focus on Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Based on his previous term, this is bad news for those who seek peace in the Middle East.
