Obama seeks pragmatic approach towards Middle East crisis
March 11th, 2011 - 6:13 pm ICT by ANI
Washington, Mar 11 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has called for a pragmatic approach towards dealing with the current unrest in the Middle East.
Obama’s National Security Adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, deflected calls for more aggressive action in Libya on Thursday, saying that the United States will not, at least for now, put its pilots in harm’s way by enforcing a no-flight zone over the country, the New York Times reports.
White House officials believe that the intervention would not only be risky, but could even be counterproductive, provoking anger against the United States for interfering in a homegrown political movement.
This emphasis has been criticised by many saying that Obama, whose election was hailed on the Arabs, is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab street protesters. Some say he is failing to bind the United States.
The paper quoted Benjamin J. Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, who wrote Obama’s speech in Cairo to the Islamic world in 2009, as saying that: “It’s tempting, and it would be easy, to go out day after day with cathartic statements that make us feel good. But ultimately, what’s most important is achieving outcomes that are consistent with our values, because if we don’t, those statements will be long forgotten.”
Acknowledging the irony of Obama’s dilemma, a senior administration official said: “There is a desire for Obama - not the American president, but Obama - to speak to their aspirations,” but “his first job is to be the American president.” (ANI)
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