will the military allow genuine economic reform that will disempower them and empower a new generation of egyptians? these are the obstacles to egypt s democratic future right now. and the united states should focus much of its attention on egypt. the arab world s largest state, the heart of arab culture, the font of ideas for the region. if egypt succeeds, it will change the arab world. if it fails, if this revolution fails, it will send a terrible message throughout the region. obama chose the right audience to give his speech, america s foreign service, because ultimately it will not be a speech by which arabs will judge america but the countless actions of american diplomats over the next few months and years as they struggle to make a break from the past and enter the modern world. let s get started.
and finally, the two top presidential candidates in egypt, two former office mates now rivals. let me first give you some of my own thoughts, having spent some time in cairo and actually listened to president obama s speech from here in tahrir square. the president s speech was remarkably comprehensive. it described the events that we now call the arab spring, explain their causes and consequences. he placed the united states squarely behind the democratic wave everywhere. though he didn t specifically mention one country. saudi arabia. the place where america s interests and values most obviously clash. i don t blame him. street protests in saudi arabia might warm our hearts, but they could easily lead to $250 a barrel oil and a global recession. that s a tough one. obama outlined specific policies to help the arab revolutions get consolidated. all good stuff. and he also talked about the need for a resolution of the israeli/palestinian conflict. with two states based on 1
ironic story about egypt s plummeting economy. and finally, the two top presidential candidates in egypt, two former office mates now rivals. let me first give you some of my own thoughts, having spent some time in cairo and actually listened to president obama s speech from here in tahrir square. the president s speech was remarkably comprehensive. it described the events that we now call the arab spring, explain their causes and consequences. he placed the united states squarely behind the democratic wave everywhere. though he didn t specifically mention one country. saudi arabia. the place where america s interests and values most obviously clash. i don t blame him. street protests in saudi arabia might warm our hearts, but they could easily lead to $250 a barrel oil and a global recession. that s a tough one. obama outlined specific policies to help the arab revolutions get consolidated. all good stuff. and he also talked about the need for a resolution of the israeli
will the egyptian military genuinely devolve power to a democratic structure of authority? will the military allow genuine economic reform that will disempower them and empower a new generation of egyptians? these are the obstacles to egypt s democratic future right now. and the united states should focus much of its attention on egypt. the arab world s largest state, the heart of arab culture, the ideas for the region. if egypt succeeds, it will change the arab world. if it fails, if this revolution fails, it will send a terrible message throughout the region. obama chose the right audience to give his speech, america s foreign service, because ultimately it will not be a speech by which arabs will judge america but the countless actions of american diplomats over the next few months and years as they struggle to make a break from the past and enter the modern world. let s get started.