The Middle East represents a glass half empty to US President Barack Obama, as opposed to the half full glass that seemed to capture former president George W Bush’s attention, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jim Hoagland has said.
“Half empty means it is drained, a wasting asset, that will not return to its full abundant state,” he said at a public lecture titled “The Glass Half-Empty: Barack Obama and the Middle East” on the campus of Georgetown University Qatar (GU-Q) in Doha.
Hoagland shared his perspectives on the political landscape President Obama encountered in the beginning of his term in office, the challenges that brought, and the policy shift that took place over the course of his presidency.
The acclaimed journalist described the US president’s worldview as one that seeks to limit engagement and risks in his Middle East foreign policy agenda, as increasingly complex domestic issues present further distractions.
“President Obama should relaunch his foreign policy efforts with an eye to approaching regional issues through a more strategic global agenda, one in which the cup, or opportunity for positive outcomes, is half full instead of empty,” Hoagland pointed out. The journalist started his illustrious career covering the history-changing events of the civil rights movement and Vietnam for The Washington Post newspaper.
Reporting from Kenya, Hoagland won the first of his two Pulitzer Prizes for covering the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa in 1971, resulting in the apartheid government’s banning him from entering the country.
He won his second Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for covering the events that led up to the Gulf War, and the failures of former USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s leadership. Hoagland continues to work at The Washington Post as contributing editor.
The speaker was introduced by Omar Hashem, a GU-Q International Economics student who is pursuing a certificate in the university’s brand new Media and Politics programme.
The public lecture is one of many educational events GU-Q organises to bring the expertise and experiences of global leaders to the Qatari community.