tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post9183411584868232677..comments2023-03-29T03:23:32.859-07:00Comments on Leaves: Obama in Cairo - ReactionsFrank Kaufmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01159598894960295988noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-15715644556793871742009-06-24T06:47:50.953-07:002009-06-24T06:47:50.953-07:00Dear Dr. Kaufmann,
Thank you very much for your “...Dear Dr. Kaufmann,<br /><br />Thank you very much for your “Leaves” and “Post”. We have read this very carefully. We are appreciating you for your activity which is very useful for world peace, understanding and international relations. We are very proud that we can share your thoughts.<br /><br />Emil Kurcik<br />Marie NemcovaEmil Kurcik , Marie Nemcovanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-30863725614636887012009-06-17T19:03:20.222-07:002009-06-17T19:03:20.222-07:00Thank You Frank,
You are able to create the right ...Thank You Frank,<br />You are able to create the right situations at the right time with the right persons.<br />President Obama's speech in Cairo which, in fact, had started in Turkey on a wrong track, a few weeks ago, was neither a religious speech nor a political declaration. It was an educational lecture -- how U.S. experts perceive, interprete, and use World Religions and Holy Books in their practice. Such socio-political approach cannot target the right goal -- the peace processin the Miidle East, something that the just, baby-faced and highly talented President frankly wants to reach!<br />Samvel Jeshmaridian, PhDSamvel Jeshmaridianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559314874737939861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-45199699646027686822009-06-15T08:31:37.311-07:002009-06-15T08:31:37.311-07:00Thank you Frank,
For this window of Mind's Bu...Thank you Frank,<br /><br />For this window of Mind's Building.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading your thoughts,analysis and comments.<br /><br />Mohamad A JodehMohamad A Jodehnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-4379934181195223102009-06-15T06:41:02.834-07:002009-06-15T06:41:02.834-07:00It is good to try to heal wounds that were exacerb...It is good to try to heal wounds that were exacerbated during the Bush administration, but by addressing Islam from the position of a political leader, I don't think Obama has the relationship between church and state down right. If he is really promoting modern democracy, cultural values have to be more separated from politics, leaving democratic process and pluralism as the primary value. When a political system adopts religious values, i.e., official truth statements, blocks to free and scientific thought are created.<br /><br />Also, Israel ought to let Palestine secede if it wants, for only in freedom can those people gain self-respect. However, Palestine has never shown that it has the capability to police itself. Syria and factions in Lebanon have been able to control it when Israel's forces are absent. Any military presence of their forces after Israel withdraws, should be considered reason for the international community to intervene.Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11595658661104969792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-13023575807917973522009-06-15T04:32:18.265-07:002009-06-15T04:32:18.265-07:00Dear Friend,
It is unfortunate that even in the 21...Dear Friend,<br />It is unfortunate that even in the 21st century we are stuck with the world devided on the name of religious affiliation. Why politicians do not show the courage to address the ills of our world for one human community? Why do we succumb to religious sectarianism? Its a dangerous trend and we all are victim of it.<br />Shrivatsashrivatsanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-24696493848357370112009-06-14T20:22:14.697-07:002009-06-14T20:22:14.697-07:00Many excellent points in all the commentary but I ...Many excellent points in all the commentary but I find myself agreeing with Steve about the US-centric nature of the message. The left seems to believe that the problem of the Middle East is that Washington has for too long been run by conservatives, and now that Obama has arrived with his good intentions, all will be different. President Bush could not make peace in the Middle East because he put US interests first and foremost, and could not be seen as a fair arbitor by Arabs. But so far the thrust of the Obama foreign policy seems to be that the good guys are now in charge in D.C. That is still, unfortunately, more about internal American politics and less about the realities on the ground in hotspots around the world. As Iran and North Korea, not to mention Benyamin Netayahu, are clearly demonstrating, those good intentions have nothing to do with what's really going on in the world. I'm nervous.David Burgessnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-22758103642988010082009-06-14T17:12:55.888-07:002009-06-14T17:12:55.888-07:00Correction:
The third link should be:
http://www...Correction:<br /><br />The third link should be:<br /><br />http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Iraq/IraqPalestine_USImperial.htmlLaurencenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-16940077243204719882009-06-14T17:11:48.471-07:002009-06-14T17:11:48.471-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Frank Kaufmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01159598894960295988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-30290797986681519252009-06-14T14:12:25.293-07:002009-06-14T14:12:25.293-07:00Kate Tsubata wrote:
This is the second post I...Kate Tsubata wrote: <br /><br />This is the second post I've received about the speech, (one from Daniel Davies, another great thinker and writer.) <br /><br />I think we must recognize some of the groundbreaking aspects of this--that it involved a direct outreach to Islam, that it confronted a number of issues directly, and that it is a call to engagement for everyone. <br /><br />I feel that the president's role (not so much the constitutional one, but the de facto one) is one of articulation and encouragement. Each president articulates some ideals, nationally or internationally, which create dialogue, and hopefully, action. <br /><br />Creating peace is a challenging goal, because it takes only one person's disagreement to keep hostility and anger alive, and goodness knows each person has the propensity to nurse his or her own sense of injury and injustice. Staying on our historic "sides" can never bring peace. We need to radically shift our viewpoint in some manner; to see from a position that is outside of all the previously experienced positions. <br /><br />Obama is trying to do something that is both dangerous and exciting--to incite a rebellion among the reasonable and freedom-loving to raise their own voices. It's not Jew, Christian, Muslim...who have a lot more in agreement than the politicists would have us think. It's not democracy vs. monarchy. It's not West vs. East. <br /><br />The ultimate confrontation is the question: Do I want the best for everyone, or just what I think is the best for me and mine? <br /><br />This seems easy, but it is so hard that most of us fall into the second category. <br /><br />So the challenge for Obama--and for all people--is to shift the thinking from "what benefits my group" to "what benefits all humanity." <br /><br />Or to frame it differently "what doesn't hurt my group, and doesn't hurt any other group either." <br /><br />Not an easy task. <br /><br />KateKate Tsubatanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-55650865961848827662009-06-14T14:09:30.339-07:002009-06-14T14:09:30.339-07:00Here's some interesting articles that expand t...Here's some interesting articles that expand the debate a bit.<br /> <br />What do you think about a Free Trade Agreement between the US and moderate Arab nations, starting with Palestine, Jordan, Egypt etc?<br /> <br />LB<br /><br /> <br />http://arabwritersgroup.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/hanania-israel-violates-free-trade-agreement-as-us-loses-71-billion-for-immediate-release-03-12-09/<br /> <br />http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=2475<br /> <br />http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Iraq/IraqPalestine_USImperial.html<br /> <br />http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9347.shtmlLaurencenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-26110818706657700772009-06-14T11:52:19.199-07:002009-06-14T11:52:19.199-07:00To summarize in a few words:Obama's speech is ...To summarize in a few words:Obama's speech is a declaration and invitation for peace; The Netanyahu speech a declaration and invitation for more war.<br />Just one example from the many:Obama wants a two "state" solution. Nethanjahu definition for a Palestinian "state" is a sort of Coney Island, an amusement park, when he says they could have their flag and anthum, but no military and weapons. Maybe Obama needs to define for Nethanjahu what constitutes a "State". More over, going back in history selectively,as Nethanjahu did, does not contribute to contemporary peace, but to more wars. Do we remember Milotsovitz using this same "once upon a time" mechanism? The shameful part of this mechanism is that it is used to mobilize for war,never for peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-5499641090304128702009-06-14T10:00:56.317-07:002009-06-14T10:00:56.317-07:00This speech is a valuable contribution to dialogue...This speech is a valuable contribution to dialogues among Christians, Muslims and Jews. We now have a public statement of the United States political leadership's viewpoint, ideological desires and political stances regarding Islam. <br /><br />A good quote from a powerful person can give credence to a cause. So, it is my hope that many of these statements will be be used to initiate and reinforce peacemaking projects.<br /><br />As President Obama said, "no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust... But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts... There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground." After former President Bush's many divisive words and actions toward Islam, and apparent ignorance, Obama has taken up the helm in a responsible way, starting with this peace-seeking speech.Karyn Bryanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08262619811083916858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-15417838104510661742009-06-14T07:37:22.715-07:002009-06-14T07:37:22.715-07:00Providential realities aside, think about the rami...Providential realities aside, think about the ramifications of rooting the present-day justification of Israel's existence in what happened thousands of years ago.<br /> <br />If the US formally endorses that theory, we just opened pandora's box to approve every claim of every group that owned territory for the last 4 millenia and beyond. That would be the end of peace as we know it.<br /><br />Also, to broaden the debate a bit, here are some interesting and perhaps legitimate contrarian perspectives to help understand other points of view on the region:<br /><br />http://arabwritersgroup.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/hanania-israel-violates-free-trade-agreement-as-us-loses-71-billion-for-immediate-release-03-12-09/<br /> <br />http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=2475<br /> <br />http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Iraq/IraqPalestine_USImperial.html<br /> <br />http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9347.shtmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5775933294479123098.post-19186839209218343922009-06-13T22:48:32.522-07:002009-06-13T22:48:32.522-07:00Thank you again Frank for your contribution to our...Thank you again Frank for your contribution to our understanding of important events of the day. The perspective of Mr. Obama continues to challenge the conservatives and emboldens certain Progressives of which he either continues to mollify or he may just be their bandleader extraordinaire.<br />The debate needs to transcend US centered parochialism but his seeming denial of the American contributions internationally IMO is evidenced as well. I feel the jury is still out on our new President as he sounds good but his national and international policy development requires diligent overview IMO.<br />Kudos,<br />Steve Evans<br />Melbourne Aust.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com