Word: hooper
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Rabat, Morocco "Any place in the Arabic-speaking world sends a message of outreach and dialogue," says Hooper. The North African kingdom has been a steady U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, a fact that led then President George W. Bush to designate Morocco a major non-NATO ally. King Mohammed VI is generally pro-West and viewed as a reformer. A speech in Rabat would resonate especially with North African nations like Algeria and Tunisia, where fundamentalism and terrorism are on the rise. But Morocco does not carry much clout in Islamic affairs. If Jakarta...
Amman, Jordan Jordan has a U.S.-educated King and depends substantially on U.S. handouts. It is also, as Hooper points out, "in the heart of the Arabic-speaking world" - literally and symbolically. It has direct links with the Middle East's most problematic places: the West Bank (more than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin), Israel, Iraq and Syria. It has also struggled with terrorism; Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, founder of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was Jordanian...
Istanbul, Turkey Ironically, the sweet spot for Obama's speech may well be the country he visits next month, in his first trip as President to a Muslim nation. Turkey, says Hooper, is "the bridge between the Islamic world and the West, and it's a good setting for bridge-building, for establishing increased dialogue." In the past, many Muslims regarded Turkey with some suspicion because of Ankara's strident secularism; Turkey was seen as a country ashamed of its religion. But with an Islamist party now in power, that perception is changing. Turkey has also emerged as a player...
...Outliers "If you really want to push the envelope, then how about Damascus or Tehran?" asks Hooper. "Now that would make an impression." Yes, but it would be seen as rewarding states that support terrorist groups, and there's no indication the White House is considering either city. Baghdad? Still too dangerous. Riyadh? Obama would be seen as being in the pocket of the Saudi royal family. Oman, Bahrain ... the list could...
...though, Hooper believes that geography may be secondary to the content of Obama's speech. "What will resonate is [Obama's] words and policies," he says. Muslims will respond not only to the location but also to "the fact that he's trying to reach out - with rhetoric, and hopefully also with actions...