A New Beginning

As Social Revolutions Sweep Through The Arab World, How Will They Affect The Role Of The US In The Region?

By Riz Khan
Last Modified: 28 Feb 2011 13:33 GMT
Courtesy Of "Al-Jazeera"


Will the changes sweeping across the Middle East revolutionise the US' relationship with the region?

In 2009, Barack Obama, the US president, took the stage at Cairo University and spoke of a new beginning between Washington and the Arab world.

Yet, less than two years later, on February 18, 2011 the Obama administration used its first United Nations Security Council veto to strike down a resolution declaring Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to be illegal.

This leads many to question whether the state of political flux in the Middle East will encourage the US to adopt changes in its foreign policy.

On Monday's Riz Khan we speak with world-renowned author and historian Tariq Ali. Also on the show is Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, Iraq and Afghanistan.