Deputy Assistant Secretary Madeleine Spirnak Interview

Ankara, August 3, 2009

Radio ODTU

Fulya Akbuga, Radio ODTU:  Hi, Ms. Spirnak. First of all welcome to Ankara and our studio. It’s a great pleasure to meet you. We’d like to talk to you about President Obama’s outreach to Muslim world and his policies in the Middle East. I followed Obama’s campaign in Pennsylvania before he was elected as the president and I was really impressed by his speeches and his commitments. Especially after the Cairo speech I think he has gained a trust from most parts of the Muslim world. You know after 9/11 lots of things had changed for Muslims; the perspectives in Bush administration was more strict to Islamic world. Now Obama is seen much more moderate and peaceful than George W. Bush. How do you consider Obama’s differences with Bush in terms of approaches to the Muslim world in the beginning?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to be here today and I’m very happy to be back in Ankara and talking to you. I would like to talk only about President Obama’s initiatives with Muslim communities in the Middle East and North Africa, which is the area that I’m most familiar with, that’s the area that I work on.

Radio ODTU:  Ok.

DAS Spirnak:  And in this area and maybe I should tell you why I’m in Turkey too since I concentrate on the Middle East and North Africa. We are sponsoring a conference in Istanbul and it is a conference of the alumni and the Middle East entrepreneurship training program (MEET). And these are young business leaders, entrepreneurs, both businesses and social entrepreneurs who have taken leadership courses that helped them to expand their businesses and organizations. So they’re here in Istanbul meeting, 200 of them to network, to get new skills, to learn about with each others arguing and results, positive results than they can replicate. Why I raised this is because this year at President Obama’s speech, he mentioned the importance of entrepreneurship and the importance of the private sector will play in progress in the Middle East. The need for opportunity as well as hope, entrepreneurs create jobs. So this kind of program is the kind of program that the Obama administration would like to support for the Middle East and for other areas of the Muslim world. As you know, there are, there is a very large unemployment problem of youth in the Middle East. So there is a need to try to create the educational atmosphere that can help them gain the skills so they can find jobs. And then on the other hand, there is a need to support the entrepreneurs, the small businessmen who can create the jobs. So it’s a process, it’s not easy but we would like to try to help that process.

Radio ODTU:  How was the conference and how do you help these entrepreneurs to build jobs?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, it’s not an a to b to c process-

Radio ODTU:  Conference?

DAS Spirnak:  Actually it begins tomorrow and it will take place tomorrow and Wednesday. Some of the programs that will be discussed will be marketing, how to increase the sales and revenues of your products, blogging, communication, how to network better so you can gain new markets, gain new customers and regional integration will be a topic, a big theme of the conference. How, we’re not just one country one market, we’re so interrelated now that we have to think about expanding our business from and into different countries into different areas in order to be successful. But also to learn new methods, to create new products that will be popular.

Radio ODTU:  Yeah, new media played a crucial role in especially the elections, Obama’s campaign. What do you think about these new tools such as Twitter, Facebook? And you know in Iran after the elections, you know Twitter also played a very important role, how do you consider these?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, first of all I think a lot of people don’t understand new media. I’m not sure that I understand all of it either. I’ve never Twitted. But I think it is very important because it’s a form of expression and it’s one way for people, youth particularly to communicate with each other. And this is the other, one of the other things that President Obama in his speech subsequently stressing is the importance of building networks. We as governments, we as businesses, we can’t solve problems all by ourselves. We need the widest possible partnerships and networks working together to solve problems like environmental problems, climate change, poverty, health problems, so the new media will help to get the message out, will help to be more engaged because youth of course love new media. And I think it is an important thing for us to encourage.

Radio ODTU:  Yes, as you said in his Cairo speech, Obama talked about cooperation between West and Muslim world. Do you think that is possible?

DAS Spirnak:  Oh, yes. I think it’s already occurring of course and we have strong partnerships between the US and many countries in the Muslim world. As he said in his speech, Morocco was one of the first Islamic countries, or was the first country, sorry, to recognize the United States of America. So we have strong partnerships throughout the Muslim world. But one of the programs that I oversee at the US Department of State is the Middle East Partnership Initiative. And through this initiative, we work to help empower women to increase educational and employment, economic opportunities as well as work to help local civil society, work with to increase political participation. These are programs that we’ve been carrying on in the US since 2002, I’m sorry in the US and in the region. And so far, we have expanded over 530 million dollars on over 600 programs in the Middle East and North Africa. And quite network of alumni of these programs has been created and they use new media methods to stay in touch. So of course there’s more that can be done, of course there is we can enhance and improve our dialogue to try to understand each other better. But I think we’re moving along the right path now and we just have to keep it up.

Radio ODTU:  Yes, and can you give some more details about these programs? You know, there’s a huge global economic crisis, as you said unemployment problem in the world. How do you manage to, you know, beat this?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, the important thing is to try to look at programs that will help people help themselves. It’s no good to just do something that will give someone aid if doesn’t benefit that person and have that person perhaps help others. Some of the programs that we’ve worked on, for example, in the area of women’s empowerment, are creating legal networks. These are women from various countries in the Middle East and North Africa who work together on legal issues that primarily affect women more than other segments of society, for example, personal status law, and family law and so women learn more about these laws in other countries in the region so they understand how other countries may be treating these issues. And try to improve the laws so they can improve the status of women. Another program we have is called “Women in Technology,” and this program helps women to understand how to use technology, primarily information technology so they can have a better chance at employment, at economic growth. And these networks work together. The Legal Women’s Network works with the Information Technology Network to help each other. These are the similar kinds of programs we’re doing. We have the educational programs as well. Leaders, youth leaders program where we bring youth from various countries in the Middle East and North Africa to the US for leadership training. They come together and they might not otherwise meet each other, you know they’re coming from various countries. They take courses in leadership, they learn about civil society, non-governmental organizations in the US. And they take back with them to their communities a sense of ‘I can do this, we can work together. We can solve problems. I can be a leader. I am just one person but I can make a difference.’

Radio ODTU:  Do you think after Bush administration and after, in the last years, do you think that Muslim world point of view has changed to USA or other Western countries and vice versa?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, I can’t really speak to the point of view of Muslim nations. I can say that above all the administration and our government wishes to have a dialogue based on mutual respect and mutual interests.  We have shared goals, we have common goals. We want the best opportunities for our children, for our families. And this is the way that we will approach our relationships.

Radio ODTU:  Obama’s Cairo speech was really impressive and considered as one of the best speeches yet ever done. What are the main points, the most important points for your opinion?

DAS Spirnak:  Well, I think one of the most important points was when the President stated our strong respect for Islam as a religion and respect for the contributions that Islamic countries individually have made. But also that America has never been and never will be at war with Islam. And I think we have to make that clear that there can be, there is a partnership and Muslim people are very important in the US. They make a very important part of our society. That’s one very important part that point about the speech but as you mentioned there are other economic development issues, women’s empowerment issues, freedom of expression issues that the President mentioned, that are important.

Radio ODTU:  What about nuclear weapon issue? You know there’s a conflict between USA and Iran. And do you think it’s being a Muslim country is a factor behind this conflict or is it just Iran having nuclear weapons?

DAS Spirnak:  As President Obama has said many times, we’ve extended a hand to Iran and it will be up to the Iranians to decide how they want to accept that hand of friendship. But we are concerned about nuclear weapons growth throughout the world and that’s why it was mentioned in his speech.

Radio ODTU:  Yes, and he reached the Muslims in Cairo, in Egypt, but he had chosen Turkey as his first visit in the Middle East. What was the meaning of his visit to Turkey? And as the first Muslim country he has visited. And why did he choose Egypt for his speech to Muslim world?

DAS Spirnak:  Oh, I’m not sure that I can give that answer to that question. I believe that Turkey has a vibrant democracy with a vibrant civil society. So as a choice of coming to Turkey and speaking to the Parliament in Turkey, I think that had something to do with that. Turkey is a partner, a strong partner and has been for a long time and hopefully will continue. And Cairo well, so much about Islamic history is related to Cairo, so much leadership of Islamic culture in addition is in Cairo as Al-Azhar  University is of course a very well respected institution in the Muslim world.

Radio ODTU:  Yes. And he also mentioned about the Israeli Palestinian conflict about the settlements. Do you think this problem is going to be solved easily, the settlement problem? Because Israel said, Netanyahu said they’re not going to end the settlements.

DAS Spirnak:  I think that the Israeli Palestinian problems if they could be solved easily, they would have been solved easily by now. So in general, that’s a simple answer but what I’d like to say is that the President has made his commitment to a peaceful solution of this long time problem, a priority of his administration. He named Senator Mitchell as the Special Envoy his very first day in office and that was a sign of his commitment to try to come to a peaceful resolution, a two-state solution with both Palestinians and with Israelis living side by side in peace and prosperity with peaceful neighbors as well.

Radio ODTU:  We hope all these problems are solved some time. And for you, what is Turkey’s role in the Muslim world and in the Middle East, in your point of view?

DAS Spirnak:  As I mentioned before, Turkey as a strong democracy has a vibrant civil society. It can, together with the US and other countries in the region it can play a key role.

Radio ODTU:  Thank you. You have lived in Turkey for a long time I think. So what are the main changes you have recognized?

DAS Spirnak:  I was just saying that there are so many new roads. And in Istanbul where I was yesterday, there seem to be a lot more parks, a lot more places for people to go and enjoy themselves. Always more traffic.

Radio ODTU:  Yes, Ankara is getting crowded all the time.

DAS Spirnak:  But I’m always enjoying my trips to Turkey and when I leave I’m sad and want to come back again quickly.

Radio ODTU:  Thank you for your time Ms. Spirnak. It’s been an honor to speak with you.

DAS Spirnak:  Thank you. It’s my pleasure.