Obama, Cameron and the Elephant in the Room that Nobody Wants to Dance With

This afternoon in London, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barak Obama are holding a press conference after their meetings this morning.

Their statements were straightforward. They will work together to improve world economic conditions and to support Middle East and North African peoples who are seeking more democratic forms of government and better lives. They will continue to focus on driving Al-Qaida and the Taliban out of Afghanistan and on seeking a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestine.  All honorable and time-tested goals.

Cameron is an excellent speaker, who seems to be extemporaneous, even when he’s reading his remarks. If you are looking for English as it is meant to be structured and spoken, Cameron is the model.

Obama, meanwhile, does not do quite as well reading his remarks and his English is a little less elegant, but his facial expressions and generally relaxed and friendly style make up for the small differences.

So, we may conclude that nothing very new was developed in London this week, with one exception.

Cameron and Obama will go to the G8 meetings this weekend with the goal of getting agreement on a package of economic and social programs to help the people of North Africa and the Middle East who want to change their societies and lives.

Perhaps my Marshall Plan for the region has a chance after all.

It would be a fitting end (and beginning) to the heroic struggle of so many freedom fighters.

But, there is one small detail to be worked out first, a detail which neither Cameron nor Obama addressed. How to get rid of Qadhaffi, Saleh, al-Assad, and any number of entrenched and non-democratic Gulf monarchs without leaving in disarray the West’s long-time strategy for holding on in the region and using it to cut off Iran. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to dance with.

Until a heavyweight leader steps up to this issue, good words will follow good words without much improvement on the ground for the millions of people we want to help.