Obama talks the talk, can he walk the walk?
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OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 26, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The notorious image of the United States appears to have damaged the reliable image and appealing aura of U.S. President Barack Obama in Turkey. According to a survey published in June by the Ankara-based research company MetroPOLL Strategic and Social Research Center, Obama is the world leader most appreciated by Turks, but a majority finds him not reliable.
Among the 1,282 people interviewed in 31 provinces, 24 percent said Obama was the most loved leader in the world, followed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, 56 percent of the people surveyed said they did not believe in Obama’s peaceful rhetoric.Â
An earlier survey conducted by the same firm in October, ahead of the U.S. elections, similarly revealed that 39 percent of the 1,582 people favored the presidency of Obama, while 14 percent supported his main rival, Republican candidate John McCain. "The poll results are entirely related to long-standing mythology and skepticism, which has been dominant in the country since the 1970s, especially among left-affiliated people, about the U.S. itself," said daily Akşam columnist Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, who has served in Washington for years.
"Turkish people assume that the presidents may change, but the U.S. system and policies don’t," Aydıntaşbaş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "There is no one single America. They don’t see the diversity and complexity rooted in its policies. Such a skeptical myth stems from a failure to understand the inner dynamics of the United States. It is a kind of intellectual laziness." She said Obama’s Cairo speech, his Israel policy and the tough competition in the U.S. general elections are signs of this diversity.
After the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush, who sorely damaged the American image in the world, Obama has been seen as a real hope, not only among Americans, but also among Turks who likewise hoped to see a U.S. president that was a firm contrast to his predecessor. A "superman" role was attributed to Obama, who was expected to heal the world’s unrest, mend the United States’ broken image and create a fresh political breeze in the world.
The Muslim world, including Turkey, had its own dreams about Obama, as evidenced by MetroPOLL’s same survey conducted this month. Out of those surveyed, 52 percent said they believed relations between the United States and the Muslim world would be better during the Obama era.
Although U.S. media reports and polls show that Obama’s ratings remain high in the United States despite some policy concerns, the same confusion over Obama’s charisma and popularity appears to have surfaced among U.S. citizens.
U.S. News & World Report columnist Kenneth T. Walsh described this shift in his column in April , writing that "reality is overtaking charisma," while some recent surveys suggest the president’s positive image is likely to decline. Among 1,008 adults surveyed, the number of people who rated their feelings about Obama as "very positive" dropped from 45 percent in April to 41 percent in June, according to a NBC News/WSJsurvey conducted in June.
Likewise, although Obama’s aura appeared to have impressed Turkish people right after his visit to Turkey in April, with many finding him very gentle, charismatic and sincere, and identifying with his Muslim identity and middle name "Hussein," many embraced him in a skeptical manner, describing him as "the smiling face of imperialism."
Skepticism for US, not Obama
Despite the seemingly fresh and promising political winds created by Obama through a series of initiatives, including his visits to Turkey and Cairo to hail the Muslim world, experts associate the Turkish people’s sentiments with the country’s long-standing mistrust in U.S. policies. "He was a good guy after Bush, and whoever came to power after Bush would be hailed," columnist Sami Kohen told the Daily News. "But Obama had assets: he was Muslim, which attracted conservatives in Turkey. Everybody wanted him to be the president. I am sure if Turks could vote, they would have voted for Obama."
Added Kohen: "But I think his image has faced a slight erosion and he seems to be less sympathetic at the moment. It is because of the Turkish nation’s mistrust of U.S. policies and dynamics. They assume that the U.S. has its own interests and imperialist goals, which can’t change. They question Obama’s power, to what extent he can change this well-established affiliation." Columnist Semih İdiz says Turkish people like Obama, attributing this love primarily to the president’s stance on Israel and his Muslim identity and name. "But they think the U.S. policies don’t let him do what he wants to do," İdiz added. "It is the Turkish people’s concerns about the U.S. itself that lead them to a kind of lack of faith in Obama."
An earlier survey conducted by the same firm in October, ahead of the U.S. elections, similarly revealed that 39 percent of the 1,582 people favored the presidency of Obama, while 14 percent supported his main rival, Republican candidate John McCain. "The poll results are entirely related to long-standing mythology and skepticism, which has been dominant in the country since the 1970s, especially among left-affiliated people, about the U.S. itself," said daily Akşam columnist Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, who has served in Washington for years.
"Turkish people assume that the presidents may change, but the U.S. system and policies don’t," Aydıntaşbaş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "There is no one single America. They don’t see the diversity and complexity rooted in its policies. Such a skeptical myth stems from a failure to understand the inner dynamics of the United States. It is a kind of intellectual laziness." She said Obama’s Cairo speech, his Israel policy and the tough competition in the U.S. general elections are signs of this diversity.
After the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush, who sorely damaged the American image in the world, Obama has been seen as a real hope, not only among Americans, but also among Turks who likewise hoped to see a U.S. president that was a firm contrast to his predecessor. A "superman" role was attributed to Obama, who was expected to heal the world’s unrest, mend the United States’ broken image and create a fresh political breeze in the world.
The Muslim world, including Turkey, had its own dreams about Obama, as evidenced by MetroPOLL’s same survey conducted this month. Out of those surveyed, 52 percent said they believed relations between the United States and the Muslim world would be better during the Obama era.
Although U.S. media reports and polls show that Obama’s ratings remain high in the United States despite some policy concerns, the same confusion over Obama’s charisma and popularity appears to have surfaced among U.S. citizens.
U.S. News & World Report columnist Kenneth T. Walsh described this shift in his column in April , writing that "reality is overtaking charisma," while some recent surveys suggest the president’s positive image is likely to decline. Among 1,008 adults surveyed, the number of people who rated their feelings about Obama as "very positive" dropped from 45 percent in April to 41 percent in June, according to a NBC News/WSJsurvey conducted in June.
Likewise, although Obama’s aura appeared to have impressed Turkish people right after his visit to Turkey in April, with many finding him very gentle, charismatic and sincere, and identifying with his Muslim identity and middle name "Hussein," many embraced him in a skeptical manner, describing him as "the smiling face of imperialism."
Skepticism for US, not Obama
Despite the seemingly fresh and promising political winds created by Obama through a series of initiatives, including his visits to Turkey and Cairo to hail the Muslim world, experts associate the Turkish people’s sentiments with the country’s long-standing mistrust in U.S. policies. "He was a good guy after Bush, and whoever came to power after Bush would be hailed," columnist Sami Kohen told the Daily News. "But Obama had assets: he was Muslim, which attracted conservatives in Turkey. Everybody wanted him to be the president. I am sure if Turks could vote, they would have voted for Obama."
Added Kohen: "But I think his image has faced a slight erosion and he seems to be less sympathetic at the moment. It is because of the Turkish nation’s mistrust of U.S. policies and dynamics. They assume that the U.S. has its own interests and imperialist goals, which can’t change. They question Obama’s power, to what extent he can change this well-established affiliation." Columnist Semih İdiz says Turkish people like Obama, attributing this love primarily to the president’s stance on Israel and his Muslim identity and name. "But they think the U.S. policies don’t let him do what he wants to do," İdiz added. "It is the Turkish people’s concerns about the U.S. itself that lead them to a kind of lack of faith in Obama."