After decades of mistrust between the Arabs and the United States of America, the 44th president of the U.S, Barack Obama, decided to address the Arab world from the most populous Arab nation and cultural capital of the Arab world Egypt. On June 4, 2009 from the Major Reception Hall at Cairo University, President Obama addressed the Muslim world calling for a new beginning, and trying to fix relations with the Muslim nations that were severely damaged during the presidency of George W. Bush. This is the second time, since President Kennedy’s speech back in the early 60’s, for an American president to address the Arab world form Cairo University. Obama’s speech addressed seven critical issues: violent extremism, the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, nuclear arms, democracy, religious freedom, rights of women and economic development.
Obama used persuasive techniques such as ethos, logos and pathos to deliver his message for a new start in the relations between the east and the west.Obama used ethos as one of his persuasive techniques while delivering his message of change in the relations between the east and the west. Using Ethos Obama portrayed himself to the Muslim community as a humble and fair man of honor and leader. He seemed so modest when he started his speech by thanking the Egyptian people for their hospitality and for giving him the chance to address the Arab world from the former capital of the Muslim world and the link between the U.S. and Muslim countries, and between Asia and Africa. Obama admitted that the war on Iraq was a mistake and this mistake created a lot of problems in America’s foreign policy in the past six years and that Iraq has the right to have its own sovereignty, this statement symbolized Obama as a fair person who confessed the wrong actions and is willing to correct it.
He added that the prison at Guantanamo bay must be closed by early next year (Obama, 2009). This statement had a strong…
