After the hope engendered by the speech in Cairo, is there currently an atmosphere of cynicism and despair?
I think there is an atmosphere of confusion. One thing you have to remember: there is a major difference in treatment towards Obama vis-a-vis President Bush. Bush came across as a cowboy. He did not articulate his policy. People in the Arab world listen to President Obama and he articulates everything clearly. They see his interviews, whether on American or Arab TV, and they like the man. I speak to people all the time and they genuinely like the person that they see and what he says. But then they see him on Oprah giving himself a B+ grade. They give him an A on personality and sincerity. But on action, they give him an F. What action does the Arab media want President Obama to take? I think the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the oldest conflict in the entire region, is still the most important issue on the table. It keeps coming back. Even though it might not be the most important issue today, a year or two years from now it comes back. People want to see closure and an end to this is
