AP Photo

Barack Obama’s historic address in Cairo on June 4 on reconciliation between the United States and the Arab Muslim world opens up a new political era in the Middle East. It is a groundbreaking change and is perceived as such by Arab political leaders. However, it is not clear whether the Israeli authorities, on their side, have fully assessed its magnitude.

Mr. Obama’s strategy is a simple one: to reaffirm America’s contested leadership, not by coercion but by means of a revamped soft power that will enable the United States to mend fences with the Third World and emerging powers without alienating its traditional allies.