After months of relative silence, President Obama will formally address the tumultuous events of the Arab Spring in a speech on Thursday May 19 at 11:30 am[ET]. His speech will stream live on CNN and C-Span, both in the US and internationally. Following the announcement of Syrian sanctions Wednesday, Obama is slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.
At his speech tomorrow, Obama will articulate the US position on recent democratic movements throughout the Middle East, focusing on Libya and Egypt sources say, but will likely avoid details. He is also likely to mention the tumult in Syria, following US sanctions placed upon Syrian President Bashar Assad on May 18th.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney would not give details on whether the president will address the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Sources like the Guardian speculate that this speech will be similar in tone to Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009. At that point early in his presidency, Obama strove to make amends for past aggressive US foreign policies in the Middle East. This time around, he’s expected to explain his administration’s restrained involvement in the MENA region’s affairs.
What will President Obama say to the Muslim World tomorrow? Will he address the ongoing human rights violations in the region? See our site for full coverage on human rights in the Middle East. And follow us on Twitter @amnesty for our comments during the speech.