[Pak Daily Times] President B.O. raised passions during his campaign for the presidency in 2008. The US believed he would revitalise the economy, bring ongoing wars to a halt, advance diplomacy over bellicosity in settling international disputes and restore human rights...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
. The president charmed the Arabs when he said in Cairo in June 2009, "America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. They are based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Paleostinian people -- Mohammedans and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they have endured the pain of dislocation. They endure the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Paleostinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Paleostinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own...The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." In Europe, the president pledged the US would work in concert with European allies and would listen to them. This created an impression that US hegemony would be replaced by an 'era of discourse'.
Though troops were brought home from Iraq, no safeguards were put in place prior to withdrawal. Consequently, mayhem still continues. No peace initiative was formulated for the Israel-Paleostinian conflict -- George Mitchell remained a lame duck peace envoy with no agenda to pursue. The Arab Spring began in mid-2012 and swept away dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The US failed to take a position at the right time. It was hesitant about which side to embrace. The dictators were their long time friends while there was an emerging force on the streets asking for a pluralistic society. When the turn came for Syria, the US administration again faltered. Supporting the Assad regime was not an option but the opposition was fragmented and even embraced bully boys. Lack of a timely decision brought death to over 100,000 people and displacement to a million. Iran was suspected to have been in pursuit of nuclear capability. Tehran repeatedly claimed it was pursuing nuclear energy for peaceful development purposes but the US preferred sanctions over dialogue and thus stalemate persisted. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton