Obama faces uphill climb in mending U.S.-Arab ties

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the Iftar dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington August 13, 2010. The Iftar dinner celebrates the evening breaking of fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

U.S. President Barack Obama came to office with hopes of fixing U.S. relations with the Arab world after the war in Iraq cast the United States in a negative light in the region.

But public opinion among Arab nations, as well as the unresolved Israel-Palestine conflict, are presenting hurdles, some experts said.

Arab approval of Obama has dropped dramatically since last year, despite what many had mistakenly viewed as his popularity in the region, according to "The View from the Middle East: The 2010 Public Opinion Poll," released earlier this month.

The study found a significant shift in Arabs' perception of Obama, whose disapproval ratings in the region jumped from 23 percent last year to 62 percent this year.

While Arabs approved of the president's early opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq, as well as his plans to close Guantanamo, they judge him according to the issues with which they are most concerned, rather than his personality, said Shibley Telhami, professor at the University of Maryland and the study's principal investigator.

The University of Maryland/Zogby International poll surveyed nearly 4,000 people in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates between June 29 and July 20.

Another hurdle is that Obama is not as well-liked in the Arab world as many might believe.

While the president was well-received during last year's Mideast visit, U.S. media misinterpreted Arab sentiment, which held a neutral attitude toward Obama, Telhami said.

"There was no embrace of Obama as a person. That's a myth," he said at a panel in Washington on Thursday.

During the visit the president made a speech in Cairo calling for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims," saying the two sides could confront militancy and pursue peace together.

The address was laced with references to Islam's important place in history, and the president noted how the religion carried the torch of learning through many centuries, paving the way for European enlightenment.


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