Four Questions: One New President

As President Barack Obama marked 100 days in office, the majority (60 percent) of Americans gave him approval — but what about the rest of the world? These videos shot in January and February of 2009 in the Middle East and India show the U.S. and its new president through a different set of eyes. 

The questions were simple: (1) How do you view America? (2) How do you think Americans view your country? (3) What was your view of America during the presidency of George W Bush?  (4) How is your view changing with President Barack Obama?

Play the videos below to hear from a Kurdish man living and working in Aleppo, Syria, a young British backpacker in Delhi, India, a travel agent in Pammukkale, Turkey, a tour guide originally hailing from Udaipur in Rajasthan, India and an Iranian businessman traveling through Syria. 

Question 1: How do you view America?

Naeem Davarian, 27, Iran

Robert Nash, 27, London

Question 2: How do you think Americans view your country?

Question 3: What was your view of America during the presidency of George W Bush?

Question 4:  How is your view changing with President Barack Obama?

Question 2: How do you think Americans view your country?

Serif Bakan, 56, Pamukkale, Turkey

Question 3: What was your view of America during the presidency of George W Bush?

Ajit Singh, 31, Udaipur, India

Robert Nash, 27, London (Interviewed in Delhi, India)

Question Four: How is your view changing with President Barack Obama?

Ajit Singh, 31, Udaipur, India

Serif Bakan, 56, Pamukkale, Turkey

‘Obama cares about all people’

State of the Nation: Little Reassurance for Foreign Audience

This post was originally published on the Global Obama: New Year, New President, New Perspectives blog. See the original post here.

Perhaps it is because I work in a newsroom, but it seemed to me — even from Hong Kong — all ears were on U.S. president Barack Obama’s speech today. After much build-up for Obama’s State of the Nation address before a joint session of Congress, the speech may have been a let down to foreign listeners.

While Obama was quite reassuring to his American audience, focusing on domestic policy and overcoming the current financial crisis, it was noticeably absent of foreign policy details.

“Turning to a global stage, Obama declared a new era of US diplomatic engagement had begun,” the Agence France-Presse reported. “He promised ’swift and certain justice’ for captured terrorists, but was otherwise light on foreign policy specifics.”

Since the inauguration world leaders have been coming out of the woodwork saying they would like to open dialogue with Obama.

Earlier this month Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he welcomes talks with the U.S. “in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect.” This, after relations were ruptured 30 years ago, mind you. And while Obama has maintained he is open to talks with Iran, the world audience waits anxiously to see if and when this day will come.

“After much talk of engaging America’s adversaries, chief among them Iran, the Obama administration has made no move so far,” CNN’s Christiane Amanpour said in a Feb. 24 post, “World has questions for Obama.”

“If Iran is slowly unclenching its fist, will Obama offer an outstretched hand?” she asked.

While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Asia tour last week had potentially large implications for the financial crisis, climate change and North Korea, it seemed like a pre-game to the big show: her Middle East trip rumored to take place early next month. Her trip is said to include both Israel and the West Bank, which may finally give clues as to Obama’s policy agenda for Israel and Palestine.

Sure, it’s only been, what, 37 days. But leaders from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Iraq and Iran don’t seem like people I would want to keep waiting too long.

Meet Delhi, Chicago’s sister from another mother

A bustling street in north Delhi.

At first glance my most recent home, Chicago, and my most recently visited city, Delhi, have nothing in common. Chicago (yes, I am biased) is one of the greatest cities in America. It’s far cleaner than you might expect, famous for mouth-watering delights such as pizza, hot dogs and popcorn and it’s cold, damn cold. Delhi on the other side of the world is for the most-part dirty–very dirty, famous for people not having that much food and hot, damn hot. 

Yet Chicago and Delhi are sister cities. And while I’m not actually sure how sister cities are decided, after a few days in Delhi it became quite clear that these sisters share some of their less-than-great attributes. 

Historically Chicago is one of the most segregated cities. Race used to be the dividing line, and still is to some degree today. When riding the Red line from the far North boundary of the city to the farthest South the El goes you can see the separation. The majority of passengers in the north are white and by the time you get far enough South (past Chinatown) the majority passengers are Black.

You can visit Chicago and never venture to the South Side and not even know what you are missing.  In fact, on my flight to Chicago the day I moved there in September 2007 a man cautioned me, “Just don’t go down to the South Side.” Thankfully, I didn’t listen to him and proceeded to have some of the best times in the places I, as a white woman, was told to avoid. 

But the main dividing line in Chicago today seems to be based more on economics than race. As the Hyde Park neighborhood motto goes: “Black and white living together.” And, as one of my professors liked to add, “Yeah, as long as you can afford it.” 

Similarly, I think if two people went to Delhi, one staying only on the north side and the other roaming only in the south the two would have completely opposite impressions of the city. Delhi’s north is the place you might have heard about. The streets are crowded with far too many cars, rickshaws (both bicycle and auto) and people to ever have a productive flow. There is garbage everywhere. Homeless people sleeping where ever they can. Scarily thin children begging for money, food and (for some reason) pens. Dirt, lots of it. 

A park on Delhi's south side.

South Delhi represents the other side. The side that shows that India is one of the world’s fastest growing economic powers. Here you see Western stores, wide streets, lush parks, far fewer homeless people and only spots of dust. 

Both Chicago and Delhi seem to be shifting people around and forcing people out, but not actually fixing anything. 

Chicago is rapidly gentrifying, raising rents and pushing the poor further off the radar far west and to the even farther south and even to what many North side residents will tell you doesn’t exist Chicago’s East side. 

Delhi doesn’t allow bicycle rickshaws in the south. And while I’m guessing if you spoke to officials there they would say they aren’t allowed because of the added congestion that can come with them, the fact is that one job a desperately poor person can get in Delhi is to pedal a rickshaw. By prohibiting bicycle rickshaws on the south they are keeping out a whole host of the very poor and homeless. 

Much of Delhi’s “beautification” can likely be attributed to the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. Similarly, as Chicago chases it’s 2016 Olympic dreams, some residents of Bronzeville (the planned location of the Olympic village) worry more residents will be pushed from the already rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. 

Historically, the Olympics (and games of that nature) have done great things for cities by forcing them to modernize, beef up public transit systems and fix often crumbling infrastructure. The games could be a really good thing for both Chicago and Delhi, I just hope the city leaders remember that pushing a problem farther off your radar does not make it go away. Nor does covering it up and glossing over the bad points with little girls singing and fake firework shows as their not-so-distant cousin, Beijing learned the hard way. 

One in the same

A startling observation I have made since traveling through a host of middle eastern countries is that America and Israel are viewed as one in the same. In one mosque we entered in Damascus, Syria, two metal flags laid of the floor for visitors to trample. One for Israel, one for America. I politely stepped around my own countries flag.

Almost two weeks ago now, we stumbled upon a protest in support of Gaza in Palmyra, Syria. Hundreds of people, mainly children, had taken to the streets waving Hamas flags and shouting. Though I was intimidated, the journalist in both Shawna and I forced us into the thick of the rally, where we found ourselves surrounded by young boys and girls eager to talk to us. These same children who wanted to take photos with us, also told us, “Palestine is destroyed because of America.” (I have video and photos of the rally that I hope to post soon)

Please, no more dead children

In America television stations are not allowed to show caskets coming home from the war. We never see the Americans dying in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and we most certainly never see the thousands of Iraqis that have been killed since the war began. While there are certainly some positives that come with not seeing dead people on the news every day, seeing death so blatantly forces you to face it. It doesn’t allow you to ignore or forget those who are dying as a consequence of military action. 

All this leads me to wonder what the news coverage is like in America of the war in Gaza. On Al Jazeera in Syria we see death every day, all the time. We cannot escape it. We see dead babies wrapped in white sheets in the arms of their crying parents. We see blood streaked across the faces of young children, and wonder what kind of life they will have after experiencing such pain and suffering. We hear stories like the one of an 18-year-old girl who had to have both her legs amputated after being injured from phosphorus. Al Jazeeras ominous music plays and I find myself turning away from the screen. I cannot see anymore dead children.

So my question to you: What are you seeing in America of the Gaza war? What is the media coverage like? 

Note: This post is a little dated now since I did not post it while still in Syria, when the Gaza war was still going on, but I still wonder what you saw in America of the war, and what you are seeing now. The conflict may have ended for now, but we still see dead children every day on the news. 

Looking out on the axis of evil from a rogue state

Tonight Shawna and I climbed to the top of a hill and watched the sun set from a castle in Palmyra, Syria. The locals told us the border of Iraq was just 400 km away. For a photo click here.