The Obama Administration's Approach towards the Islamic World: Change or Continuity in U.S. Policies?

Developments in Islamic societies and countries have always attracted the attention of different governments in the United States. Today, Political Islam has substituted Communism as the main rival and enemy of the West and America. Following the September 11 events. the Bush administration's approach towards the Islamic world provoked harsh criticism. With the coming to power of Barack Obama, it was expected that we would witness serious changes in the U.S. approach towards the Islamic world, based on his promises during the electoral campaigns. This article tries to answer the question of whether Obama's policies towards the Islamic world have realized the expectations of Muslims. The author believes that Obama's policy towards the Islamic world has not been effective due to the continuation of the pro-Israel lobby's influence and America’s contradictory behavior; ultimately leading to a failure to boost the United States’ profile among Muslims. Therefore, we witness continuity rather than change in the U.S policy towards the Islamic world under the Obama administration.