歐巴馬的演說,使美國在回教世界的形象瞬間大幅提升,各種民調都破表,可見恐怖份子實在很善良,長期被侵略與屠殺,現在來了一個比較文明的講幾句其實也沒什麼的友善話語,被壓迫者似乎就原諒了加害者.

歐巴馬之相對於布希,這其實也使我對美國或西方許多國家所謂民主制度感到很懷疑,台灣當然就更不用說了. 民主是不談英明君主,不依靠個人的善意的,但事實上,當你選出一個人渣例如布希或陳水扁,跟你選出一個正常人,後果很可能全然不同,代表人民的國會事實上並沒有辦法管制穿著西裝的現代君王之為所欲為.

當年西歐大多國家都反對侵伊戰爭,但他們的政府照樣派兵參戰或支持,而民意卻無法對之有效制裁. 一個人或少數人的意志在所謂民主國家依然凌駕於所有民意之上.

當年若不是選出布希,我看美國大概也不會自導自演諸如911這樣一些所謂恐怖攻擊,當然也就更不會有接下來的各種侵略包括伊拉克和阿富汗等等.

這其實也說明了所謂投廢票之爛蘋果理論是錯的,兩個爛蘋果終究還是會有一個比較不爛,而這個乍看微小的 "不爛" 差距,便很可能產生巨大的不同結果. 就好像兩條角度稍有不同的線條,當它往外無限延伸,差距便逐漸拉大.

p.s.: 連spec-i-a-l-i-s-t 一字都不能出現在我們的淨化版面上,因為含有c-i-a-l-i-s (犀牛士,一種壯陽藥).

陳真
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半島新聞
Thursday, June 04, 2009
21:24 Mecca time, 18:24 GMT

Speech stirs mixed feelings


The Palestinian Authority hailed Obama's speech as a 'good beginning' [AFP]

Arab intellectuals remain unsurprisingly split over the speech by Barak Obama to the Islamic world.

While some consider it as bold, historic and an opening of a new chapter in US relations with the Islamic world, others simply see it as evasive and lacking substance.

Ahmed Yousef, senior advisor to the deposed Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniya, told Al Jazeera that Obama's speech was a "landmark", but had some reservations.

"The things he said about Islam and the Palestinian suffering and their right to have a state is great. It is a landmark and a breakthrough speech," Yousef said.

"But when it comes to legitimacy of the Israeli right to exist [there are issues]. He knows the Palestinians have to have their own state before recognising another.

"They [the US] recognise the PLO as representative of the Palestinian people, but they don't recognise the people's right to return to their own land in Palestine, as set out by the UN resolution.

"This issue needs to be recognised before the issue of recognising Israel.

"[However] we are feeling America isn't going to use their military might to keep threatening the Muslim world. That they are going to open dialogue and to engage with the Muslim world and Muslims in the region."

'Historic moment'

In depth

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Obama offers change to Muslim world
Americans 'negative' about Muslims
Winning the war of words

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Hady Amr, a special-i-s-t on Middle East politics with the Brookings Institution in Doha, told Al Jazeera the speech "struck such a tone, as to be an historic moment".

"[Osama] Bin Laden is clearly shaking in his boots when you've got all the resistance movements in the region lining up saying this is a great speech.

"As the speech sinks in, the echoes that the president used from the Bible, Torah, Quran and human wisdom [mean] we are going to be operating politically in a newly redefined world.

"It is no longer possible for Israel to wiggle out of its settlements, for Hamas to make excuses about its rockets for Bin Laden to say cut your ties with Christians and Jews.

"I think the president has actually changed discourse on the political area in a very lasting way. I can't imagine Jews, Christians or Muslims feeling uncomfortable with this speech," he said.

However, Hassan Abu Nimah, director of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy in Amman, thought the speech was lacking substance.

'Non committal'

"I think it was very careful and non-committal. There was not much in it that indicated change. The speech was very evasive and lacking substance.

"He did not offer any criticism of Israel except that he was opposed to settlements.
He did not oppose the existing settlements. Half of the West Bank is occupied. Nobody is talking about where the state of Palestine is going to exist."

Some saw a a gap between Obama's words and actions.

Mohamed Oqla Arsan, a Syrian writer and analyst and former president of the Arab Writers Association, said: "It is a public relation speech that was rich with good gestures but did not amount to a breakaway from American policies that have created the divide between Washington and the Muslim World.

"Obama still fails to recognise that the Palestinian cause is the core issues that affect Arab and Muslim perceptions of America."

'Connect with people'


Obama evoked a vision of peace after a cycle of 'suspicion and discord' [EPA]
Todd Kent, a professor of American politics at the Texas A&M University in Doha, told Al Jazeera: "There will be some Republicans who didn't like it, who will accuse him of being too apologetic, too broad in his goals, Democrats who are proud and excited. He has faced criticism for apologising for past US behaviour and for going too far with Israel.

"This speech was aimed at connecting with the people in the street. Obama was able to connect and raise key issues at the same time. We will see if he can turn his broad policy options into some specifics.

"When Obama said Israel must stop the settlements and Hamas stop the violence, he reflected the American stance on the issue.

"You are going to see a lot of domestic pressure on the president. Historically, presidents have bent to that pressure. We will see if Obama has the strength to be different.

"There is a lot of mistrust and misunderstanding on both sides. What Obama did best today was to bridge the gap between Muslims and Americans.

"If you look at the polls, Obama is popular here, yet most people in the Middle East dislike US policy. Obama's challenge will be if he can bring them both together," Kent said.