US influence in the Arab world
American conservative Pat Buchanan weighs in on the future of US involvement in the Arab world.
Former adviser to three US presidents and well-known American conservative commentator Pat Buchanan gives us his perspective on how the US is handling the pro-democracy protests in the Arab world.
Critics say Washington lost credibility when it showed its inability – or unwillingness – to fully rally behind demonstrations for political reform in the region. The US has supported unelected leaders in the Middle East and North Africa for decades, and was slow to react when the protests erupted.
Now many of those rulers are facing a growing public demand for political change after two of them – Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt – were forced to step down in the face of pro-democracy uprisings.
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But US government officials argue that Barack Obama had to respond carefully in order to avoid inflaming passions. They point to his swift condemnation of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s crackdown on anti-government protesters as evidence that the US is fully committed to political reform in the Arab world.
On Tuesday’s show we ask: What is the future of US involvement in that region?
You can watch the programme at 1930GMT, Tuesday, March 8, on Al Jazeera English. Repeats will air the next day at 0430GMT, 0830GMT and 1430GMT.