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President Barack Obama
presented a humble and conciliatory face of America to the Islamic
world Monday in the first formal interview since he assumed office,
stressing his own Muslim ties and hopes for a Palestinian state, and
avoiding a belligerent tone — even when asked if America could "live
with" an Iranian nuclear weapon.
The interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network was a dramatic piece of public diplomacy aimed at capitalizing on the new American president's international popularity, though it balanced America's traditional commitment to Israel, whose security Obama called "paramount.'
"I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries,"
Obama said, according to a White House transcript. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy."
The Al Arabiya interview,
directed squarely at Muslims around the world, revived a vision of
personal, symbolic international change that was in the air when Obama
- with his far-flung family members, and complicated story - launched
his campaign. It was a vision, and an aspect of his story, that the
candidate buried when, in 2007, was forced to combat whispering campaigns about his own faith.
But by giving his first interview to the Arabic network, Obama signaled
his continuing belief in his personal power as a symbol of America
against the temptations of Islamic militancy. He even dismissed
"bankrupt" ideas and policies that don't improve children's health
care, jabbing at "nervous" Al Qaeda leaders in language that echoed his
campaign against George W. Bush.
The occasion for this interview was the departure of Obama's special envoy, George Mitchell, to the Middle East,
and a more aggressive and optimistic approach to that conflict than
some argued that the circumstances dictated. The president offered no
timeline for peace, but a firm view that a Palestinian state remains
within reach.
"What I told him is start by listening, because all too often the
United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues
— and we don't always know all the factors that are involved," Obama
said. "What we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the
preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last
several years. And I think if we do that, then there's a possibility at
least of achieving some breakthroughs."
Obama's interview was marked by attempts to sympathize with the
concerns of ordinary Muslims, particularly on the question of living
conditions in the West Bank. But he sought a conciliatory tone
throughout the interview, at one point avoiding even restating American
policy, and his own platform, than an Iranian nuclear weapon is plainly unacceptable.
"Will the United States ever live with a nuclear Iran? And if not, how far are you going in the direction of preventing it?" asked the interviewer, Al Arabiya Washington Bureau Chief Hisham Melhem.
Obama responded only generally, expressing disapproval of an Iranian
bomb but not the flat condemnation that is standard from American
officials.
"You know, I said during the campaign that it is very important for us
to make sure that we are using all the tools of U.S. power, including
diplomacy, in our relationship with Iran," he said. "Now, the Iranian
people are a great people, and Persian civilization
is a great civilization. Iran has acted in ways that's not conducive to
peace and prosperity in the region: their threats against Israel;
their pursuit of a nuclear weapon which could potentially set off an
arms race in the region that would make everybody less safe; their
support of terrorist organizations in the past -- none of these things
have been helpful."
During the campaign and transition periods, Obama's condemnations of an
Iranian nuclear weapon were more direct: "[T]heir development of nuclear weapons would be unacceptable," Obama said on Meet the Press on December 7.
A senior Obama aide said Monday night that Obama had not changed his views on Iran.
Obama also signaled a move away from President Bush's confrontational, generalizing language. Melhem noted to Obama that "President Bush framed the war on terror conceptually in a way that was very broad, 'war on terror,' and used sometimes certain terminology that the many people -- Islamic fascism. You've always framed it in a different way, specifically against one group called al Qaeda and their collaborators."
"I think that you're making a very important point. And that is that
the language we use matters," Obama replied. "[W]hat we need to
understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether
Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a
justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith
as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name.
"And so you will I think see our administration be very clear in
distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda -- that espouse
violence, espouse terror and act on it -- and people who may disagree
with my administration and certain actions, or may have a particular
viewpoint in terms of how their countries should develop," he said. "We
can have legitimate disagreements but still be respectful. I cannot
respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and
we will hunt them down."
Obama's shift Monday was one of tone, not of policy, and he also affirmed America's support for Israel.
"Israel is a strong ally of the United States. They will not stop being
a strong ally of the United States. And I will continue to believe that
Israel's security is paramount," he said. "But I also believe that
there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace.
They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and
if there is serious partnership on the other side."
Obama's interview plan was made public only Monday afternoon, and the
interview, which concluded just after 6:00 p.m., was distributed to
reporters in the evening and embargoed for release at 11:00 p.m.
Asked why Al Arabiya
had been granted the president's first interview, and aide said: "We
want to communicate directly to the entire world America's new foreign
policy."
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