Feature

Chicago and Jedda Examine the Election and Its Impact on the World

The Harris School, in association with the U.S. Consulate in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, hosted a post-election town hall style meeting on November 5, with panelists speaking in Chicago and via satellite from Jedda. The discussion focused on the impact of a new president on Middle Eastern policy, but also explored a wide range of issues, including religion, the financial crisis, and energy policy.

Optimism and congratulations punctuated the mood in Saudi Arabia. "There is hope of a transformation," said Hussein Shobokshi, president of Shobokshi Development and Trading Company. He called Obama's election an "endorsement for desire for change and a condemnation for policies of the last eight years."

The panelists included civic and business leaders, journalists, and academics. The Chicago panel was moderated by Charles Wheelan, senior lecturer at the Harris School, and comprised Michael Dawson, professor, Department of Political Science; Edwin Eisendrath, managing director, Huron Consulting; Charles Lipson, professor, Department of Political Science; Paul Mendes-Flohr, professor, Divinity School; and Zeenat Rahman, senior program coordinator for public affairs, Interfaith Youth Core.

Eisendrath noted that on election night he received emails from across the globe, including Saudi Arabia, from people who were moved and energized. But he said, "The policies of any new president will take awhile to take effect." He anticipated seeing a slow and steady building of change over time.

Generally, the Chicago panelists agreed that the campaigns were short on foreign policy details. But, Lipson said, "Middle Eastern issues [were] absolutely central to this campaign." He noted that much of the discussion focused broadly on Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, oil prices, and cooperation with allies to curb terrorism. As both a domestic and foreign issue, energy blurs the lines of traditional foreign policy.

"Obama possibly brings to the equation a sensibility, an ethos of inclusion. He and his candidacy embraced the full mosaic of America," said Mendes-Flohr. "As such, I think he embodies a conciliatory approach to economic problems as well as those seem-to-be-intractable foreign policy issues."

Shifting from foreign policy strategy, Rahman called religious conflict one of the largest global challenges of this century and that U.S. religious diversity can serve as a model as to how the United States relates to the world. "I think the next president has an incredible opportunity to translate the religious diversity that exists in this country into pluralism that strengthens American civil society, transforms American diplomacy, and contributes to global stability."

According to Dawson, a change in the American population has already taken place. "Given the demographic changes in the United States, we're seeing perhaps the beginning of a total realignment," he said. He compared recent immigration of Hispanic and Asians-a "rewriting of the American landscape" -to Eastern and Southern European immigration during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Saudi panelists felt a new president will improve the image of the U.S. from a "bully" to a country that wants to use diplomacy. "Americans are finally aware of the impact of their vote on the image of the United States and the world," said Maha Akeel, editor-in-chief of OIC Magazine.

Listen to audio from the meeting >>