Barry Rubin explains at the GLORIA Center some of the many things that are wrong with the Annapolis conference:
What would you do if your foreign policy agenda had these priorities:* Get Arab and European support for solving the Iraq crisis.
* Mobilize Arab and European forces against a threat led by Iran and its allies, Syria, Hamas, and Hizballah.
* Get Iran to stop its campaign to get nuclear weapons.
* Reestablish American credibility toward friends and deterrence toward enemies.
* Reduce the level of Israel-Palestinian conflict.That pretty much describes the U.S. framework for dealing with the Middle East nowadays. The Annapolis conference is not going to contribute to these goals. The most likely outcome is either failure or a non-event portrayed as a victory because it took place at all. No one is going to say: We are so grateful at the United States becoming more active on Arab-Israeli issues that we are going to back its policy on other issues.
On the contrary, the conference is more likely to show the inability of the United States to produce results, thus undermining belief in U.S. leverage in the region in general. It shines the spotlight on the most divisive issue, the great excuse for not doing more to help U.S. efforts, raising its prominence. What most of Washington simply fails to understand is that any real demand for Palestinian or Arab concessions will be fodder for radical groups and frighten Arab regimes, pushing the latter away from support for America rather than toward it. And any Israeli concessions obtained by this process will not satisfy their demands either.
Despite thousands of claims by lots of famous people, national leaders, and respected journals, solving the Arab-Israeli conflict will not make radical Islamism or terrorism go away. Would you like to know why? Because even if this issue could be solved—which isn’t about to happen for reasons requiring a different article—to do so would necessitate a compromise including an end to the conflict, acceptance of Israel, and compromises by the Arab side. These steps would inflame the extremists and make any Arab rulers who accepted it vulnerable to being called traitors. It would increase instability in the Arab world, also by removing the conflict as splendid excuse and basis for mobilizing support for the current rulers. Arab politicians understand this reality; most people in the West don’t.
Read it all.
"And any Israeli concessions obtained by this process will not satisfy their demands either."
Yes. Israel's withdrawal from Gaza=more rockets into Israel.
Israel's more land for peace=more ...... into Israel.
A very hard brain teaser for our world leaders.
Good article, and pretty much on the money, but what's the alternative? Someone's got to try something, even if it does flop.
Sorry to say, but time is not on Israel's side. It's on the side of the Arabs. Israel has six million people, and not growing very rapidly. The Arabs have several hundred million people, and reproducing like rabbits. Israeli territory is about the size of a postage stamp compared to territory occupied by the Arabs.
If Israel can get the Palestinian's signature on a peace treaty, and the recognition of the Arab states, at least it's something.
Again, time is not on Israel's side, and, for that reason, we should support the effort, and hope for the best.
I cast my vote for "non event".
Look at the guest list and any fool could know it wae over before it started.
Since it already is a circus, why not have live reporters commenting on the fashion wear of the participandts, as they do for Hollywood award events, where the crappiest movie will get the prize ?
Would love to be an attending 'journalist' reporting live. The occasion for comedy and farce is mind boggling (lol).
as he said..."official framework"...true.
it's the UN"official framework" that's more important...and I posted on elsewhere.
(note how I'm not pleading for anyone to stop complaining about it...I, for one, want it to continue, as it's critical to maintain the quiet snare until it all comes out in the wash within the next year, if not sooner, and turns out to be completely different than what it appears to be at present...so DO keep complaining-it keeps the terrorist thinking they're getting away with something)
*WEG*
I love watching a plan come together!
;-)
As I posted in a thread above this one...
Notice this one?
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1195546745789&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
a conference on possible war amidst a conference supposedly for "peace"?
(big clue-big stick diplomacy)
;-)
Why is it the every president thinks he needs ME peace to be his legacy? Can we just play the smart card once and adjust our me policy to realistic goals?
1: Quit paying the jizya and let the arabs take care of their own (let them spend the oil revenue on supporting the palis making less available for opening madrasses here in the west).
2: Increase military and economic aid to Israel.
3: Refuse to sell military hardware to any country that doesn't activily recognize Israel. (This would cause the arabs to either make some effort at recognizing Israel or buy substandard second hand russion/chinese weapons.)
4: Support Israel's willingness to cut off electricity and water to the "Palestinian Territories". Let them build their own infrastructure.
5: Tell the U.N. that we are withdrawing our membership (and associated funds) and they have 30 days to get out.
6: Let nature take it's course. As in every war between the arabs and Israelis, the arabs don't have the work ethic to learn how to fight. So even if they had equal weapons and superior numbers, their troops don't have the discipline and motivation to win.
Let's face it folks, we are the greatest country in history. Our culture (meaning judeo/christian/western style culture) is superior to arab culture, we have more money, we have superior weapons and we have superior weapons building capacity. We just don't have the FDR/Truman/Churchill type of leadership that is willing to fight to win.
And with our superior capacity and free thinking society we should be able to start a Manhatten type project to wean ourselves off middle eastern oil.
Take the hint Washington, our society is under attack and is in mortal danger. Do what your oath of office requires you to do, defend and protect us from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Sorry about the rant.
Not a problem at all, walt...
let's get the eco-gestapo out of the way of our domestic drilling (& oilshale mining) newly discovered/documented HUGE assets here in the US,
(lookup "permian" "green river basin", bigger than the entire ME combined) and that can start...
T-O-M-O-R-R-O-W.
In less than 5 years we can tell the entire world to F.O.A.D....and WE would be an oil EXPORTER, with room to spare.
Hope the catering was good.