REACHING FOR THE STARS IN CAIRO AGAIN: L.R. VASEY….SEE NOTE PLEASE
THIS COLUMN APPEARED IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES JUNE 3,2009…WORTH READING AGAIN …RSK
A THEME FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA’S JUNE SPEECH IN CAIRO: REACH FOR THE STARS
By L.R. VASEY
In his January inaugural address, President Obama extended the warm hand of friendship to countries of the Middle East “willing to unclench their fists” and also implied criticism of past US policies, a theme since repeated in an interview with an Arab language TV network. His message was apparently well received by the masses but interpreted by many of the region’s hard nosed political leaders, and despots, as a sign of growing American weakness in the international arena.
In Cairo, President Obama has an opportunity to launch a major diplomatic initiative: to convince the Muslim world, allies and adversaries that America is ready to take the lead in creating a more positive and mutually rewarding political and economic relationship between the US and the West, and the greater Middle East, while simultaneously cooperating together in curbing nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
But this goal can only be achieved if the widespread ideological support for terrorism found in much of the Muslim world can be transformed into condemnation.
President Obama should take a cue from former Indonesian President and distinguished Muslim leader Abdurrahmann Wahid. He should be forthright and challenge Mideast political and religious leaders to launch a concerted effort that unequivocally banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred that underlies the fundamentalist terrorism that now threatens the very foundations of modern civilization, and agree on a compelling alternate vision of Islam as a true religion of peace.
Until then, an extreme and perverse ideology in the minds of Islamic extremist fanatics will continue to fuel their ultimate goal of establishing world-wide rule of their brand of authoritarian Islam, slaughtering all infidels who stand in the way as well as intimidating and subduing mainstream Muslims who do not share their extremist views. The vast majority of Muslims are not part of the terrorism but also do not stand up against it, thus joining in the complicity of silence.
Mr. Wahid has described the situation as a “crisis of misunderstanding of Islam by Muslims themselves (which) is compounded by the failure of governments, people of other faiths and the majority of well- intentioned Muslims to resist, isolate, and discredit this dangerous ideology……Muslims themselves can and must propagate an understanding of the ‘right’ Islam and discredit extremist ideology.”
Implicit in his condemnation are such barbaric practices as the indoctrination and training of suicide murderers, funding of terrorist organizations, and export of hatred of America and the West via a network of Islamic schools worldwide that propagate Islamic extremism.
President Obama should make clear in his Cairo address that only when Muslims themselves turn against such extremist ideology and initiate actions to put their civilization on a path to restoring the old glory of the Muslim world as a multicultural zone of tolerance, intellectual, and scientific achievement — will it be feasible to create an enduring, productive new era in Middle East – Western relations.
But that will take time — and we cannot simply wait for it to develop. The United States can work jointly and in parallel now, to help form a coalition of countries, from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, to address and develop feasible solutions to such volatile issues as Palestine, Iran, nuclear proliferation(e.g., Syria) and terrorism, and in addition, to forging a framework for a new era of economic and trade relations.
This is an extremely ambitious and complex undertaking, comparable to the post-World War II era when American leaders reacted with a burst of creativity to resolve crises. Working across party lines, they created alliances such as NATO, launched the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine to rebuild war-torn regions, and established the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to help rebuild economies.
We of “The Greatest Generation” remain proud of our country. We are confident that the world’s only diplomatic and military superpower, with strong and decisive leadership, still has the inner strength — and credibility — to achieve this noble cause.
A national security strategist, R. Admiral Vasey USN retired, is founder of Pacific Forum CSIS, a prominent non-profit foreign policy research institute based in Honolulu and affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International studies in Washington D.C. The views herein are strictly his own.
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