In Iraq, Barack Obama's promise to withdraw US combat forces by August 2010, and see all troops gone by the end of 2010, came as no great surprise.
The essentials of the plan were widely trailed and debated in the country's increasingly vibrant media. Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, had already welcomed the withdrawal, urging that it be done "orderly and responsibly". Obama called al-Maliki with the details of the plan before delivering his speech, White House officials said.
"There was nothing really new in what he said," said Samira al Moussawi, an MP aligned with al Maliki's Shia Dawa party. "It was in line with the strategic forces agreement Iraq and the US negotiated last year," she said.
There was scant disagreement that Iraq had to stand on its own feet among the among those who spoke in the immediate aftermath of Obama's address.
"I wish it [the withdrawal] could happen more quickly, but it is the beginning of the end of the US occupation," said Mohammed Faris, a car salesman in the northern city of Mosul. "I think Iraq is getting stronger by the day."
General Abdul Kerim Khalaf, spokesman for the interior ministry and a key player in the Baghdad security plan, said: "We will be ready to take over when the Americans leave. There is no doubting the improved performance of Iraq's security forces. We are even now taking on and beating al-Qaida and the militias."
Mahdi al Hafez, an MP and former planning minister, applauded the withdrawal timetable as "wise". The pace of withdrawal suggests that the bulk of the current US military presence in Iraq, some 140,000 troops, will remain in Iraq through nationwide elections later this year.
Dr Hafez said it was important that the US continued to use its diplomatic influence to help Iraq solve some its deep-seated political divides such as the one between Kurds and Arabs over Kirkuk, and the passage of a vital new oil law.
"It is a realistic and responsible plan. It represents a recognition that Iraq must take matters into their own hands and deal with those huge challenges as an independent country."
But his view was not shared by an influential Shia cleric, Salah al Haideri, who said in his sermon today that the US must also reduce its diplomatic presence.
Some questioned official assurances that the country's police and military, and its dysfunctional political establishment, would be up to the task in the timeframe proposed by Obama.
"We've heard so many promises, so many times before about this and that. Why is this one so different?" said Salam Haideri, outside a Shia mosque in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah.
Iraq's self-ruling Kurds gave a cautious backing to the Obama plan but warned of strife if outstanding disputes with Baghdad - over Kirkuk and oil - are not solved before American forces leave.
"We want a responsible withdrawal, and that means helping deal fairly with the unresolved issues," said Falah Mustafa, a minister in the Kurdistan regional government. "We hope Obama takes this chance to appoint a special envoy to help resolve the Kurdish issue in Iraq in the long term."
In Saddam Hussein's hometown, Tikrit, 40-year-old Sunni government worker Hazim Ali Hamid was stung by Obama's praise to US forces for removing Saddam. "But, in fact, the US forces achieved one thing: That is destroying Iraq ... We hope that the US soldiers will leave our country sooner rather than later in order to put an end to the bloodiest pages in Iraq's history," he said.
In Baghdad, an influential Shia cleric said the plan did not go far enough and demanded the reduction of American embassy staff as well. During a sermon today, Sheik Saleh al-Haidari said there was no longer a need for such a large American diplomatic presence. The US embassy sits in the heavily fortified green zone. It has more than 1,000 employees.
Sunni legislator Mustafa al-Hiti said Obama's plan met "the aspirations of many Iraqis who want to see the occupying troops out of their country. We have enough confidence in our security forces and we think that there is no chance for a new round of violence in Iraq".
"Iraq will regain independence and sovereignty, and the United States will get rid of many military and economic problems," said Raji Abbas, a Shia from the southern city of Najaf, where US forces engaged in intense battles with militias in 2004. "But, before leaving Iraq, the US army should do their best to train and equip the Iraqi security forces so that they can confront the dangers that are threatening the country," he said.
Obama's strategy in Iraq may also be vulnerable to regional volatility, warned some analysts. "How he deals with the Iranian nuclear file, will in large part determine how successful he is in Iraq," said a former advisor to President Jalal Talabani. "Iran still has the potential to make his life hell."
