Today, President Obama begins his tour of the Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This tour is in part designed to improve America's image in the region, which as the release of a new audio tape by Osama bin Laden shows is still needed. However, the mere fact that the President is making the effort to have a dialog with the Muslim world goes a long way towards improving relations with the U.S. On Thursday, Mr Obama is expected to deliver an address in Cairo, one that he promised to make during his campaign last year.
But that is not to say that there isn't a large gap to overcome. One of the primary issues facing Mr Obama is the issue of Israeli settlements which are one of the sticking points in the Isreali-Palestinean peace process. The Arab community wants a statement from the U.S. on these settlements which can potentially drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel, a long time ally. Walking this balance will be a difficult path, but opening this dialog is the first step down the right direction.
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