The Obama nations

In my country, Turkey, that enthusiasm is most evident in the media. This morning I took a look at the web pages of the top ten Istanbul papers, and came across more than two dozen editorials or columns celebrating the change in America. As a nation disillusioned by most foreign policy decisions of the Bush administration, and most notably the Iraq War, Turks were happy to see the march of a whole new face to the White House. A commentator was reminding us — albeit a little inaccurately — of Winston Churchill’s word of wisdom:

“Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing... after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” Others were saying that Americans have proven that they are not racist bigots. Obama’s tone, style and integrity were highly praised. Even John McCain received admiration for the humble and honest concession speech he gave on the election night.

Alas, it is the first time that I have seen such a positive Turkish view of the United States since 2003, the beginning of the Iraq War. And this is not limited to Turkey. Europe’s fascination with Obama has been obvious for quite a while, but now the Middle East sounds optimistic, too. The Eyptian Gazzete, in its editorial, says that Obama’s presidency will be “a golden chance at hand to put Arab-U.S. ties in good shape.” “In inspiring millions in America and millions more around the world,” says The Jordan Times, “Obama is likely to become an iconic leader before he has even started work.” According to the Cairo-based Middle East Times, “A brave new world” is dawning.

All this is a great advantage for Mr. Obama, but it also puts a great responsibility on his shoulders. If he can really bring to U.S. foreign policy the change that the world now believes in, he will remake history. But if he fails and disappoints, both the U.S. and the rest of us will be in a situation that is much worse than now.

Because of that, I have decided to make a few suggestions to Mr. Obama. I highly doubt that he starts the morning by reading the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review (the new name of our aged paper), but I still hope that my message in a bottle might somehow make it all the way down to the Obama White House.

So, here are the five pillars of my humble advice:

Close down Guantanamo: That giant human cage in Cuba has become the icon of America’s thoughtless over-reaction to 9/11. It also has become the symbol of an America which tramples on human rights whenever it deems necessary. So, Guantanamo needs to be closed down. It might be difficult to decide what to do with some of the inmates, because they have no country to go to, but a solution can be found. Maybe America can convince a friendly Muslim country to accept and settle them. Even if the solution is not perfect, it will be much better than the maintenance of that wicked place.

End “rendition”: Another horrific image of post-9/11 America is a country that kidnaps people and tortures them in undercover CIA planes or hidden “black sites.” Again, this should be immediately terminated. The innocent people who suffered from such cruel tactics, including the victims of Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison and similar places, should be compensated by the U.S. government. America should say “sorry” to those whom it wronged. This will only add to her dignity.

Pull out from Iraq responsibly: Obama promised to pull U.S. troops out from Iraq, and I believe that is a good idea. But he can’t allow the country to descend into lawless chaos. Yes, the war was a bad decision from the very beginning. But as Colin Powell once said, “if you break it, you own it.” You at least own it until the point where it can pull itself together and not break again. So, the U.S. should use all its power to make the Iraqis achieve a sustainable consensus. Once that is secured, everyone will be happy to see the “Yankees” go back home.Talk, talk, talk to Iran: When Senator McCain shockingly sang, “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,” during his campaign, he was summarizing the hawkish attitude in Washington toward the Islamic Republic. Obama should reverse the course into which that militarist mindset put the U.S. Maybe he can’t do it right away as “unconditionally” as he promised, but he definitely needs to find a way to talk to Tehran. The Iranians are not as irrational as their current president sometime sounds, and it is possible to make a deal with them if they are treated respectfully.

Talk, talk, talk to Hamas: The “peace process” in the Middle East is blocked, simply because one of the two representatives of the Palestinian nation, i.e., Hamas, is not a part of it. And they are pretty radical, so they will not just sit down and proclaim that they accept Israel’s right to exist. But it is only wise to make them accept a “hudna” (a truce), via at least covert talks, which will help the peace process continue. They might start by that hudna, but once life goes back to normal and the Palestinians focus on building their society, the zeal for conflict will decline and the temporary armistice will turn into long-term peace. With the trust he inspires among Arabs, Barack Hussein Obama is the perfect figure to lead that process.

If he achieves these goals, then he will really be a great president, not just of the U.S., but also of the world. That is what the Obama nations are now hoping for.