ND Expert: President Obama’s speech surprisingly “tough-minded” | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › ND Expert: President Obama’s speech surprisingly “tough-minded” ND Expert: President Obama’s speech surprisingly “tough-minded” Published: June 05, 2009 Author: Roberta White Though his speech to the Arab world on Thursday did mention past American failings – particularly the coup in Iran – President Obama stopped short of apologizing for those missteps. “He didn’t hold out hope for reconciliation for past matters,” according to R. Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame professor of history and director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. “He offered a tough-minded analysis of what the situation is right now, today.” It was “a straight-forward approach, what we might call a mainstream American position – the unvarnished truth as he saw it. He went as far as one can go in one speech with reframing relations between the West and Islam,” Appleby says, “and tackled head-on the issues that divide those two worlds.” Though Obama’s call for Israel to accept some of the burden for solving the conflict with Palestinians was met with resistance from Israel, the speech still “signals a shift” that in no way diminishes support for Israel, “but suggests that the U.S. wants to be an equal partner with Israel in determining how that support should be understood and how Israelis themselves must act within the context of a three-way partnership that has really not been so strongly pronounced in the past,” Appleby says. “The U.S., Israel and the Arab-Muslim world are all partners in this and that came across very clearly in a way that really has not come across in previous presidential pronouncements from earlier administrations.” Appleby’s areas of research include the roots of religious violence and the potential for religious peacebuilding. His books include “The Ambivalence of the Sacred: Religion, Violence and Reconciliation” and “Spokesmen for the Despised: Fundamentalist Leaders of the Middle East.” Video featuring Prof. Appleby discussing the speech can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ekiTFTwH0&feature=channel_page Media Advisory: Prof. Appleby’s comments or video may be used in whole or in part. He is available for interviews and can be reached at 574-631-5665 or Appleby.3@nd.edu Posted In: International Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 30, 2022 Nanovic Institute to welcome former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture September 12, 2022 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street … in different countries? For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn