Lebanon Reacts to Obama, Sort of

Issa Kamal, a 25 year-old political science student from Beirut, discusses Barak Obama's speech. 

The White House may have been hoping for a cultural breakthrough between America and the Muslim world. But in Lebanon, most people seem jaded by American politicians promising change but delivering little. No one was even watching the speech in the cafes that line the streets near the American University of Beirut, normally a center of political discussion. Those members of the chattering classes reached by telephone were just as cyncical. "People are not paying attention to the Obama speech because they are desperate from American policies," said Issa Slaibiy, a 30 year-old journalist. "The essence of the problem for the Islamic world is America's ultimate support to Israel."

Lebanon, which is still officially at war with Israel, has particular reason to want the U.S. to push for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian question. There are more than 400,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who have been a source of instability and war ever since the creation of Israel in 1948. Israel also occupied Lebanon itself for 18 years, until the Jewish state was driven out in 2000 by Hizballah, a militant Shia Muslim group which still keeps its weapons today.

It took a trip to the suburbs of south Beirut, the stronghold of Hizballah, to actually find people watching the American president live. There Obama had a warmer reception than one might expect from a group that sometimes yells "Death to America" at its demonstrations. "He is a respectful man, and everyone should respect him as a leader," said Issa Kamal, a 25 year-old political science student from Beirut. "He's much more flexible about Iran, about Pakistan, about than whole Middle East than crazy Mr. Bush was."

Kamal and his friends -- all of whom are Hizballah supporters -- were watching Obama on television and smoking nargileh water pipes at a restaurant across the street from Hizballah's main convention center. They had little doubt that the American President wanted to change the relationship between the U.S. and Muslims. But they doubted whether that was actually possible. "He's a romantic," said Kamal. "He says he wants Israeli mothers and Palestinian mothers to live together, but that's not going to happen. It's not enough to say that the Palestinians should have their own country. Is he going to do something about it?"

To really change the relationship between Arabs and America, Obama should stand up to the Israelis, according to Mohammed Sakir, a 21 year-old computer science student. But he doubts that Obama himself actually has the power to overcome what Arabs see as the all-powerful Jewish lobby. "It's well known that Obama has Muslim roots, and if it was up to him all alone he might be able to change things," said Sakir. But the American government prevents him."

Lebanese will pay particular attention to Obama's promise to respect the results of elections in the Middle East, because Lebanon's parliamentary elections are on Sunday. Polls show that a coalition led by Hizballah is poised to take over the American-backed government. Several top American officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, have visited Lebanon in recent weeks, ostensibly to support Lebanese democracy. But they have had closed-door meetings with political leaders allied to the U.S., and announced that they will review American aid to Lebanon in the event of a Hizballah victory. "They are contradicting themselves," said Ali Sabra, 25, a waiter from Beirut watching Obama's speech. "They are interfering in Lebanon's election."

By Andrew Lee Butters with reporting by Rami Aysha/Beirut