Obama policies spell hope for Iranian-Americans

President Barack Obama is reminding the world that no matter how grave the threat, America will not be defined by enmity but by friendship.

The stakes behind Obama's policy of engagement with Cuba and Iran could not be higher. A transformation of U.S.-Cuban relations can be the harbinger of change throughout the Americas. And a breakthrough with Iran could drain the swamps of fundamentalism spreading war and poverty in the Islamic world.

Beyond the obvious gains of advancing peace and security, the collapse of the barriers dividing the world into hostile camps — a North-South dichotomy in the case of Cuba and an East-West dichotomy in the case of Iran — can be as dramatic as the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

As America mends the festering wounds of the Cold War, the moment is ripe with possibility. But, as Obama has cautioned, hope has to be tempered with history.

Recognizing that sanctions weaken civil society, Obama argued that restrictions on remittances made Cubans living in Cuba "more dependent on the Castro regime" and "isolated them from the transformative message carried by Cuban-Americans."

In response to Obama's overtures, Cuban President Raul Castro signaled his willingness to discuss everything, including political prisoners, freedom of speech and human rights. At the Non-Aligned Movement's meeting in Havana on April 29, Castro adopted a hard line but reiterated that "we are ready to talk about everything."

Obama's diplomacy is also transforming anti-Americanism in Iran. Obama's ability to cast America's relationship with the Iranian people in a new light is making it much harder for fundamentalists to demonize the United States as "the Great Satan."

Invoking the words of the Persian poet Saadi, "the children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence," Obama celebrated Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, and praised the humanity binding Americans and Iranians together. He asked Iranians to imagine "the promise of opportunity for our children, security for our families, progress for our communities and peace between nations."

Although the hostage crisis of 1979 casts a long shadow, Iran's decision on Monday to release Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist charged with spying for the U.S., was more than "a gesture of Islamic mercy." With the Iranian presidential elections scheduled for June 12, even hard-liners recognize that anti-Americanism does not translate into votes.