Readers' corner
The tasks at hand
Sir-- Judging by the face of it, Obama will not resort to the bellicose attitudes of the outgoing administration, particularly regarding foreign policy. But although Obama symbolises the American dream and is a bright embodiment of true American values, realism is surely beneficial. It is unrealistic to expect him to turn the world into a utopia.
Would Obama be able to bring about any breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Would he manage to end the internecine Palestinian squabbling? Would he knock the Palestinian factions' heads together? Would they agree to come halfway?
In Iraq, Obama is utterly enthusiastic about pulling out the troops sooner than later, his vice-president is in favour of partitioning Iraq with gusto. But were those schemes to be carried out before solidifying stability in the war-ravaged country, violence will not falter, and concomitantly Iraqi Christians will feel it curtains for them.
Obviously, Obama will be having his hands full, from combating terrorism to tackling the prickly Iranian file, from upgrading health and education systems. It seems that Obama is in no envious position.
Isaac Bandry
Qena
Egypt
Stop helping the system
Sir-- So many of my friends were hopeful about Obama when he won the election. They were quite angry with me because I said then he would not change anything, really. His stuff was rhetoric. On the one hand, I am pleased I was not wrong. On the other, there are moments when I wish the American hologram -- the illusion that we are good and our policies just, that the constitution takes care of us, that the US isn't a vicious, self-serving empire -- was true. It is not true, alas. Obama's a hologram to complete a well orchestrated psychological operation on the citizens of this country. Us, the products of the federally controlled system. Time to change. Get rid of the cell phone; you don't really need it. It's expensive and an open line (even when off) to the surveillance apparatus and therefore gives a completely false sense of security. Get your kids out of the public school system and teach them how to develop moral courage. Stop using plastic to pay; it robs businesses of a percentage of profit and feeds the surveillance and illegitimate pilfering by the financial giants. Stop paying federal taxes. Become as inconvenient to government and as useful and respected by your neighbours as possible.
David Restwood
Washington
USA
Leave one foe for another
Sir-- Re 'Reinventing the wheel' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 25 June 1 July) so the world changes. The US understands that after the collapse of the USSR, it is necessary to have a new enemy in order to suck up resources from the rest of the world. The argument to feed the US was in order to fight the USSR; now it is to fight the poor Islamic world. It makes sense for those who are politically independent to try to unite to fight the US. It is not necessary to look for common interests in the BRIC and SCO nations. Their common interest is clear -- to resist the strangulating embrace of the US that wants to live in their tab. This unity could easily encompass the Islamic world and eventually the EU.
Igor
Moscow
Russia
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