Word: arabism
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Bush was also harshly criticized - albeit in more circumspect language - in countries with close ties to Washington, including some from the very countries that rolled out the red carpet for the visiting President. Commenting on the two main purposes of the tour, even the most liberal Arab press questioned the sincerity of Bush's efforts to establish a Palestinian state and criticized his campaign to pressure Iran over its nuclear program. On occasion, senior Arab officials contradicted or disputed Bush's pronouncements even before he left their countries. Perhaps the unkindest cut of all was an editorial in the Saudi...
...Bush's efforts to rally an Arab coalition to isolate Iran in the Gulf seemed to fall flat. Only days after he visited Kuwait, liberated in 1991 by a coalition led by the President's father, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah was standing beside Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran, declaring: "My country knows who is our friend and who is our enemy, and Iran is our friend...
...Seldom has an American President's visit left the region so underwhelmed, confirming Bush's huge unpopularity on the street and his sagging credibility among Arab leaders he counts as allies. Part of the problem was the Administration's increasingly mixed message, amplified by the intense media coverage of his trip. For example, in Dubai he gave what the White House billed as a landmark speech calling for "democratic freedom in the Middle East." But during his last stop in Sharm el-Sheikh Wednesday, he lauded President Hosni Mubarak as an experienced, valued strategic partner for regional peace and security...
...Lebanese capital had been bracing for further violence, amid a political impasse that shows no sign of ending despite the mediation efforts of France last month and the Arab League over the past week. Amr Musa, the Arab League secretary-general, is set to return to Beirut Wednesday for another attempt to cajole the bickering Lebanese into accepting the League's proposal to elect a new President and form a national unity government. Few expect him to succeed. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak warned on Monday that patience with the feuding Lebanese is running out, and said that...
Saturday's vote may also hail the end to the political deadlock that started last August when the main Sunni Arab bloc pulled out of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government. On Monday a main Sunni bloc said it was prepared to return to Maliki's government, largely as a result of the vote on Saturday. But certain demands remain in place. Chief among them is the release of detainees...