However, when Obama gave that speech, he could not have anticipated how events would unfold in Iran, Egypt, and other nations in which the young people he had addressed as part of the Islamic world would begin to demand their rights. Obama and the mainstream representatives of the Democratic Party were criticized by many on both the right and the left for an insufficiently aggressive response to the demands for democratic enfranchisement. "For decades, the United States has prioritized a now clearly illusory stability over American ideals" (Hamid 2010). The U.S. had exerted relatively little pressure upon the de facto dictator of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, to ensure a stable regime in the nation with a reasonably pro-American leader. However, the Obama Administration's response can be read less as an endorsement of decades of previous administrations' complacency regarding right-wing dictators as it was a fear of seeming to endorse the actions of the democratic demonstrators. Indications of U.S. support could have been read as direct control over the movement, and worked against the establishment of a more participatory government.

Obama's position during the Iran demonstrations was similarly criticized by both the right and the left for its moderation -- once again, the President was cautious about openly expressing U.S. support for protestors against the government, who were alleging election fraud. "The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States…That's what they do. That's what we're already seeing. We shouldn't be playing into that," he said, drawing anger from his Republican opponents in Congress (Kelly 2009).

Eventually, Obama was forced to take military action against Libya, when the violence against pro-democracy demonstrators...

Obama has shown himself willing to take decisive action when it matters, such as in his quiet but firm support of the democratic revolutions in the Middle East, his demand that the Israelis engage in meaningful negotiations, and his bold attack on Bin Laden. He has, along with most of his fellow democrats, shied away from demagoguery, and favored firmness over strident and moralistic anti-terrorist, anti-Islamic rhetoric. The U.S. must cautiously negotiate with a region that produces much of the world's supply of oil. Yet when necessary, Obama has also been willing to back the U.S. government's support of democratic movements with force, so long as it does not compromise the state's autonomy. A critical aspect of Obama's support for the democratic protestors was the organic nature of the protest, and the support of the international community. The U.S. remains true to its values, but no longer strives to 'go it alone' in this complicated and fractious region.