'Waning power'

US President Barack Obama is an optimistic person, having referred in his speech at the United Nations in New York to a world in which the "tide of war" was receding.

It is true that the Arab Spring has brought democratic ideas to countries where such notions seemed impossible only a matter of months ago. However, it is also true that this happened without the help of the United States. On the contrary.

For far too long, the US President hesitated from giving his support to protesters in Egypt and Syria. And what a difference there was between the silence that met Obama as he spoke at the United Nations this year and the thunderous reception that he received two years ago at the general assembly.

Middle East a central issue

The Middle East is the issue on which everything stands and falls. Last year, Obama made an issue of peace in the Middle East and made the recognition of a Palestinian state a central point of his speech.

Then, he was optimistic that the Palestinians would have their place in the UN. Now, that seems further away than ever. Behind the scenes, the diplomatic activity is frantic.

It is hoped that the Palestinian request for immediate recognition of their state and the membership of the UN can be avoided.

The United States would block such a move with its veto in the UN Security Council, Obama reiterated in his speech.

For America, there can be no Palestinian state without a peace process. However, the peace process has now been on ice for months.

While this is something for which others are also to blame, Obama himself has made some mistakes on the issue. Against the advice of experts, he demanded a freeze on the building of new settlements by Israel, something that he eventually had to give up on.

Great expectations

In turn, he also aroused the expectation among Palestinians that their state would be swiftly recognized - and has also had to step back from this. Ultimately, these maneuvers mean that Obama has lost influence on both sides.

The Middle East peace process is now about finding a compromise that, on the one hand, would allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to put forward his request for UN recognition so as not to lose face. But on the other hand, it would also not require an immediate vote by the Security Council, something that would harden opposition to it. This all points the way to fresh negotiations. But above all it is the Europeans who are working behind the scenes to find a solution.

The Americans, for so long, have been seen as the decisive power that can bring an end to the Middle East conflict, are now no longer alone in determining the situation. On the world stage, the balance has shifted.

Author: Christine Bergmann / rc
Editor: Andrew Bowen