From Cairo to Tehran... to Jerusalem

I was unable to hear President Obama' deliver his speech in Cairo, but I have now read the full text (click here for the full text).   I agree with the many pundits who have lauded both the content and the rhetorical style.  I am confident that my young children will study this speech when they are in college and will come to appreciate the radical shift in US relations with the Moslem world that Obama sought to set in motion. 

Having just completed teaching a course on the right of political participation under international law, I was pleased by the President's emphatic commitment "to governments that reflect the will of the people."  At the same time, he properly noted that

no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

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