Obama More Popular Than US in Mideast

US more unpopular there now than it was under Bush

(NEWSER) - You know President Obama’s plan to reach out and win hearts and minds in the Middle East? It’s not going well. In a stunning new Pew Poll spotted by Glenn Greenwald of Salon , only 10% of residents in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates said they had a positive view of Obama, and less than that had a positive view of the US—putting the numbers at sub-Bush levels. More»

Back Mideast peace deal based on 1967 borders

(NEWSER) - President Obama gave a wide-ranging speech on the Middle East today, speaking out forcefully in support of Arab protesters everywhere—even in US allies like Yemen and Bahrain. “After decades of accepting the world as it is in the region we have a chance to pursue the world as it should be,” Obama said, advocating “universal rights” for the people of the region, including freedom of speech and religion, and equality for women and men. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama skillfully made the case for women's rights in the Muslim world during his Cairo speech today with the help of the hijab, or head scarf, writes Tracy Clark-Flory in Salon. "I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal," he said, demonstrating tolerance and respect before reaching his main points: that women must have the right to education and the right to reject "traditional roles." More»

President to tackle US-Muslim relations on first Middle Eastern trip

(NEWSER) - President Obama will travel to Egypt next month to deliver a speech aimed at mending America's relationship with the Muslim world, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Egypt is a politically risky choice due to President Hosni Mubarak's heavy-handed autocratic rule, but a White House spokesman said the country "in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world" and that the speech would be pitched at ordinary Muslims, not their leaders. More»

President, prime minister celebrate alliance in op-ed

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama and David Cameron tout the "special relationship" between the US and Britain in an op-ed for the Washington Post today, writing that the countries' joint efforts have built "the institutions that undergird international peace and security." They note their partnership in a variety of areas: the global economic recovery, the mission in Afghanistan, the care of returning military troops, the pressure on Iran, the support of pro-democracy protesters in the Arab Spring movement, and efforts to improve the lives of those in the developing world. More»