{"id":814,"date":"2011-05-23T09:28:49","date_gmt":"2011-05-23T13:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/intentchopra\/?p=814"},"modified":"2011-05-23T09:28:49","modified_gmt":"2011-05-23T13:28:49","slug":"how-about-an-american-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/intentchopra\/2011\/05\/how-about-an-american-spring.html","title":{"rendered":"How About an “American Spring”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has admired President Obama’s idealism all along should come away
\ninspired by the high-mindedness of his “Arab spring” speech. It served to
\nreassure his liberal base that he wasn’t solely continuing the Bush policy
\nin the Middle East (i.e., kill every terrorist, ignore human rights, let
\nIsrael drift, keep the oil flowing). It put the conservative Israeli regime
\non notice, along with some minor allies like Yemen and Bahrain. Those were
\nthe points that might cause the powers that be to feel nervous for five
\nminutes. The rest of the speech, a lofty high five for reform in the Middle
\nEast, was more problematic.<\/p>\n

Obama referred to his 2009 Cairo speech that extended an olive branch to the
\nMuslim world, reversing Bush’s belligerent “clash of civilizations” stance.
\n Lofty as those declarations were two years ago, the intervening time has
\nbeen one of inertia. Guantanamo remains a thorn in our side; Iraq
\ncontinually totters; Afghanistan remains chaotic; Pakistan is a client state
\nbought off with bribes basically because they have the atom bomb. In the
\nface of such inertia, what can ideals do? If asked whether they would
\nsupport freedom movements in Saudi Arabia, for example, in exchange for
\ngasoline at $6 a gallon, the average American would jump ship on lofty
\nideals.<\/p>\n

As in so many areas, such as health care, immigration, and energy policy,
\nObama combined visionary- in-chief with professor-in-chief. He’s good in
\nthose roles, but a global President needs a global nation to follow him. I’m
\nnot sure that we are really there yet. Reactionary politics held sway in the
\n2010 election; the economy teeters precariously; people feel like drawing in
\ntheir horns. Even in good times it would be hard for any visionary to
\nreverse the right-wing trends that have dominated American politics since
\nthe Reagan era. In other word, without an American spring, the Arab spring
\nis still on its own. This country will keep supporting despots and royal
\nfamilies in the Middle East; we will demand the free flow of oil, which is
\nthe same as capitulating totally to the oil oligarchs that hold the world
\nransom; and we won’t stop being the world’s largest arms dealers.<\/p>\n

It’s not idealism that is at fault here; it’s self-contradiction. You can’t
\nbe at peace and war simultaneously, reactionary and visionary, friendly to
\nreform and despots. Obama needs to thread his way through these
\ncontradictions. Given his character, I believe that he’s trying. His
\nidealism rings true. But countless idealists have broken their heads against
\nhard realities. The best hope I can take away now is India, a place that is
\nthriving even though the government is corrupt, bribes are a way of life,
\nvast millions are illiterate, religious intolerance simmers beneath the
\nsurface, elites jealously guard their privilege, and gender inequality is
\nshockingly rampant. Obama mentioned all those things in his speech, and it’s
\nheartening to realize that the dispossessed people of the world, starting
\nwith so little, facing such heartbreaking obstacles, can still rise. The
\nsilent power of idealism may be able to accomplish more than hardened
\nrealists realize. Let’s hope so, especially at this uncertain moment.<\/p>\n

\"Deepak <\/a>
\ndeepakchopra.com<\/a>
\nFollow Deepak on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has admired President Obama’s idealism all along should come away inspired by the high-mindedness of his “Arab spring” speech. It served to reassure his liberal base that he wasn’t solely continuing the Bush policy in the Middle East (i.e., kill every terrorist, ignore human rights, let Israel drift, keep the oil flowing). 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