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Did President Obama’s Speech Help U.S.-Muslim World Relations?

June 5, 2009

President Barack Obama delivered a long-anticipated speech to the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims touching on extremism, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the strife between Palestinians and Israelis. This speech represents an important milestone in the president’s broader efforts to heal the rift in U.S.-Muslim world relations. Nonresident Senior Fellow Shibley Telhami says the president’s address largely achieved its objective.