Egyptians looking for 'good side' of America
By Charlene Gubash, NBC News Producer
CAIRO – After eight years of watching the Middle East peace process disintegrate into violence, five years of what most here regard as an illegal U.S. occupation of Iraq, the ensuing Sunni-Shiite conflict, and the subsequent rise of Iran as a nuclear threat in the mainly Sunni Gulf, most Egyptians agree that President Bush's legacy in the region has been one of instability.
Many Egyptians believe Sen. John McCain will likely hew to Bush's foreign policy and that Sen. Barack Obama will be more likely to solve, or at least attempt to solve, those pressing issues that are nearest and dearest to people's hearts here: the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the war in Iraq.
"If McCain wins, the general perception seems to be that we're screwed," Sara Inani, a university drama professor, said during a recent interview in Cairo.
Although she prefers Ralph Nader, she believes most Egyptians feel that "if a Democrat wins, we have a fighting chance." And the most important issue for Inani? "War in Iraq, slam dunk. Most people would like to see the U.S. pull out."
Hoping negativity towards U.S. will ‘go away’
There is a sense among many Egyptians that Obama could restore the rush of warm feelings most Arabs held for the United States during the Clinton administration and erase the bad feelings generated by the Iraq war and the perceived pro-Israeli bias of the Bush administration.
"Peace in the Middle East will be good for all of us," in Iraq, Egypt and everywhere, said travel agency manager, Abdul Khaleq Fathi. He said he was impressed by an Obama speech on the Middle East and its future.
"I prefer Obama…Maybe because he has roots from Africa," added a colleague of Fathi’s, expressing a sentiment shared by many Egyptians that the Democratic candidate may be more empathetic toward Arabs because of his African and Muslim ancestry.
Yahya Khalil, a famous Egyptian jazz musician, was emphatic in his support for Obama."McCain will be the same line as where we are today and I'm not very happy with where we are today. I would like to see change and we hope the change will be for the better."
Khalil also expressed a hope shared by many Egyptians that affection for the U.S. will be rekindled if Obama is elected.
"America is a place that I love," says Khalil who holds dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship. "I want the whole world to see the good side of America. And the bad side – created by politics that create this negativity between Americans and other parts of the world – should really go away."
