I won’t be pre-gaming The Speech
Don’t look here for pre-Big Speech analysis. I know that everybody and their sister has been on the media over the last few days, publishing op-eds, or otherwise opining about the Big Speech tomorrow. Despite all the time and energy I’ve invested in this initiative, I’m not going to join them in pre-gaming the Speech ...
Don't look here for pre-Big Speech analysis. I know that everybody and their sister has been on the media over the last few days, publishing op-eds, or otherwise opining about the Big Speech tomorrow. Despite all the time and energy I've invested in this initiative, I'm not going to join them in pre-gaming the Speech (I've turned down dozens of media requests already, so don't take it personally if you were one of them!). I've already more than said my piece on what the speech should do: see "The Conversation", "Beyond Violent Extremism", "Obama scores again but the game is just starting" and the other day's post on the Israeli-Palestinian dimension. The sheer fact of the speech has already generated some good conversation and public debate, especially in the Arab media. I know what I'll be looking for. Now I'm just going to wait and see if the the speech does it.
Don’t look here for pre-Big Speech analysis. I know that everybody and their sister has been on the media over the last few days, publishing op-eds, or otherwise opining about the Big Speech tomorrow. Despite all the time and energy I’ve invested in this initiative, I’m not going to join them in pre-gaming the Speech (I’ve turned down dozens of media requests already, so don’t take it personally if you were one of them!). I’ve already more than said my piece on what the speech should do: see "The Conversation", "Beyond Violent Extremism", "Obama scores again but the game is just starting" and the other day’s post on the Israeli-Palestinian dimension. The sheer fact of the speech has already generated some good conversation and public debate, especially in the Arab media. I know what I’ll be looking for. Now I’m just going to wait and see if the the speech does it.
Marc Lynch is associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, where he is the director of the Institute for Middle East Studies and of the Project on Middle East Political Science. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He is the author of The Arab Uprising (March 2012, PublicAffairs).
He publishes frequently on the politics of the Middle East, with a particular focus on the Arab media and information technology, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Islamist movements. Twitter: @abuaardvark
More from Foreign Policy

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.