Ugly American - for Arabs, Obama hasn't changed the image
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Cairo (dpa) - For years, former US president George W Bush was seen in the Arab world as the Ugly American. His speeches, his foreign policy and his whole administration were the target of endless Arab criticism and wit.
People felt that the war on terror, declared by Bush shortly after the 9/11/2001 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center, was targeting Islam, especially as hundreds of thousands civilians were killed following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at Bush near the end of his days in office, it was seen as "the best goodbye kiss ever" and video games of the scene were shared from Morocco to the Strait of Hormuz.
Cautious relief spread across the region when President Barack Obama promised a "new beginning" in his 2009 speech in Cairo.
But a poll recently conducted by the Arab American Institute in six Middle Eastern countries reflects negative sentiment toward US policies in the region. Obama's popularity rating came in at 10 per cent or less.
The United States has been criticised in the Middle East for failing to adopt a clear policy towards uprisings sweeping the region.
"US interests dominate its perception of developments in the region," says Abdel-Bary Taher, a Yemeni political analyst.
Oil, fighting al-Qaeda and relations with Israel have dominated Washington's reactions towards what is known as the "Arab Spring," he believes.
In Egypt, Obama was attacked for his late support for the pro-democracy protesters who camped in central Cairo calling for then president Hosny Mubarak to go.
At the time, activists accused the US of being too late in choosing sides until after it was clear the military would take over.
Again, Washington has only recently changed its stance towards the violent crackdown in Syria, after repeatedly urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to lead reforms in his country rather than leave office.
In Yemen, the US stands accused of abandoning the people for the sake of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"The United States believed that Saleh was their ally in their fight against terrorism in the country, but he was only fooling them to keep them on his side," Taher says.
Taher says Yemenis believe the Obama administration is in a position to pressure Saleh to leave power. They also believe the US is able to compel neighbouring Saudi Arabia to pressure Saleh to leave and end the six-month stalemate in Yemen.
"They can simply pressure Saudi Arabia to stop hindering a political solution and democratic transition in the country," Taher says.
Moreover, the Middle East peace process remains one of the region's key issues. While President Obama has created the expectation the conflict will be solved, nothing has been achieved.
The net result is that the approval ratings for US policies in the region are now even lower than at the end of Bush's second term.
