Obama: Remember Mideast Democrats

Barack Obama recently addressed Iran's people and rulers in a televised address. The US president, who has been accused by detractors of being soft on the Islamic Republic, reaffirmed longstanding US opposition to the Iranian regime's sponsorship of terrorism and pursuit of arms, alongside his respect for Iranian culture and its achievements. While his skepticism about Iranian behavior allayed the fears of those worried about Obama's supposed ingenuousness regarding Iran's leadership, it remains unclear whether the new administration will adopt a similarly unequivocal stance toward other despotic Middle Eastern regimes.

Iran's case has always differed from that of its many undemocratic neighbors, due to the rupture between the United States and Iran following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the subsequent hostage crisis involving American diplomats, the Islamic regime's support of terrorism, and its pursuit of nuclear technology. As a result, it remains unlikely that the Obama administration will significantly alter the firm US line toward Tehran. What may happen in light of this, however, is that President George W. Bush's initial "tough love" approach to undemocratic allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt, on the wane since the disastrous aftermath of the Iraq war, will disappear. Similarly, the US might ease up its support for democratic and moderate political forces in Lebanon and Iraq, in addition to the Palestinian Authority, and consider making concessions to Syria.