When it comes to dealing with the Middle East, the president noted, \u201cthere is a Kabuki dance going on constantly. That is what I would like to see broken down. I am going to be holding up a mirror and saying: \u201d\u02dcHere is the situation, and the U.S. is prepared to work with all of you to deal with these problems. But we can\u2019t impose a solution. You are all going to have to make some tough decisions.\u2019 Leaders have to lead, and, hopefully, they will get supported by their people.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
It was clear from the 20-minute conversation that the president has no illusions that one speech will make lambs lie down with lions. Rather, he sees it as part of his broader diplomatic approach that says: If you go right into peoples\u2019 living rooms, don\u2019t be afraid to hold up a mirror to everything they are doing, but also engage them in a way that says \u201d\u02dcI know and respect who you are.\u2019 You end up \u201d\u201d if nothing else \u201d\u201d creating a little more space for U.S. diplomacy. And you never know when that can help.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs somebody who ordered an additional 17,000 troops into Afghanistan,\u201d\u009d said Mr. Obama, \u201cyou would be hard pressed to suggest that what we are doing is not backed up by hard power. I discount a lot of that criticism. What I do believe is that if we are engaged in speaking directly to the Arab street, and they are persuaded that we are operating in a straightforward manner, then, at the margins, both they and their leadership are more inclined and able to work with us.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n