Consequently, the Americans are now talking to the new Egyptian President, Mohammad Morsi of Muslim Brotherhood who was put in prison by Hosni Mubarak for his Islamist views and anti-American tirades.

Morsi has changed too. His education in California long ago and a study of global perspective helped him realise that the art of diplomacy means knowing and pracising concept of compromise. He did not let the orthodox theory of keeping the Western world out of a bon-homie foreign policy. It is he who extended the hand of friendship to the United States and Obama was wise enough not to spurn the offer.

Now Obama and Morsi are happily smoking the peace pipe and the commerce between the two countries is growing. Of course, it took a lot of convincing of boys back home in Washington DC to realise that the wind blowing from banks of the Nile was a changed one. There is now fragrance of peace and democracy. The days of oligarchy and aristocracy are gone, perhaps for ever. Moreover, America has nothing to fear by befriending Arabs. The old rival, Soviet Union has disappeared from the global stage and its substitute, Russia is too involved internally in Chechnya and in building its economy to interfere with American plans of befriending Egypt.

WILL MIDDLE-EAST BENEFIT

Is this new policy of Obama administration likely to be extended to the entire Arab world? Well, even President Obama is not sure about it and that too in the election year. His supporters predict his victory at the hustings but his rival candidate is not sitting idle. The last wo debates gave the incumbent President a thumbs up but that is not enough to say that his success in getting a second term in the White House is a sure shot.

Be that as it may, left to himself, Obama would like to carry on with the peace plan in the Middle-East and befriend the entire Arab world. The specialists on anarchy and terror have realised that keeping the have-nots at arm’s length is just driving them into the arms of active insurgency and Osama bin-Laden style terrorism. So, the terror-specialists are of the opinion that keeping the Arabs out of the tent is potentially dangerous. So why not give them an elbow room inside the tent and keep your areas of interest out of harm’s way.

Indeed most of the Arab world is in turmoil at present. Syria and Lebanon may be left to fend for themselves. The royal houses of Saudi Arabia and Jordan stand beholden to the United States for stability and are prepared to enlarge their shopping list on cash payment in hard currency to make America the sole beneficiary. Thus it would be in America’s interest - financial and political - to maintain status quo there.

One may safely predict that the insurgents and terrorists would not like to launch a frontal attack on positions where they are most likely to burn their fingers.