George W. Bush

Daily Star Editorial | date: 2007-01-25

BEIRUT - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's emphasis on the "road map" as a route to Middle East peace and the Quartet as a vehicle to get there betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how Palestinian-Israeli negotiations broke down and why they have remained in stasis. The "road map" envisions a series of preparatory steps and delays a final status agreement until the final stage. But all of the foundations for a workable peace pact have already been laid through decades of negotiations, including those that took place during the administration of her boss's predecessor, Bill Clinton, who sought a deal until the very last weeks of his presidency. While Clinton's effort established that an American president could summon the stamina for an exhaustive peace process, he too fell short of securing ironclad commitments from the Israelis and Palestinians.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that in the absence of such an approach from the administration of President George W. Bush, peace will remain on the distant horizon and successive Palestinian and Israeli leaders will continue to restart interrupted talks at phase one. The only way to move forward is for the Americans to secure irrevocable commitments that would outlive any individual Palestinian or Israeli leader's term in office.

Commenting on the Baker-Hamilton Report, Shlomo Ben-Ami writes, "The report's recommendation for an international conference in the style of the Madrid peace conference is not only a timely indication of the linkage between the Israeli-Arab conflict and the region's other troubles; it is also a long overdue reminder that bilateral negotiations between the parties cannot produce an agreement. That realisation prompted the all-Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which established the conditions for an Israeli-Arab comprehensive settlement."

by Shlomo Ben-Ami

David Ignatius, a regular Washington, D.C.-based contributor to the Daily Star, analyses the findings and recommendations in the bipartisan Iraq Study Group's report. Acknowledging that the real national security threat to America is the "sense in the rest of the world that Iraq symbolises America's fatal new combination of arrogance and incompetence", he highlights how this report can help to turn this around.

by David Ignatius

The most important component of an American diplomatic initiative is to use its full persuasive powers to resolve, once and for all, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This unresolved conflict is the core of the problems between Israel and Hezbollah, between Israel and Hamas and between Israel and the Arab states, which have unanimously and publicly stated that they will have normal relations with Israel when the Palestinian issue is resolved.

by Judith Kipper

While Europe expresses concern and the UN sends a delegation to mediate, the US, the only country that can provide needed restraint, has so far appeared to abdicate its leadership role.

The Bush administration showing some signs of being chastened by its international isolation, needs to shake off the last vestiges of its neoconservative thinking, "creative chaos" which it once believed would usher in democracy has instead brought only anarchy. And the fanciful notion that overwhelming violence would defeat all enemies and be a transformative force has, instead, only yielded more violence and anger in its wake.

Clearly a new direction is required.

by James Zogby

A recent statement, signed by former foreign ministers Madeleine Albright of the United States, Joschka Fischer of Germany, Jozias van Aartsen of the Netherlands, Bronislaw Geremek of Poland, Hubert V'drine of France and Lydia Polfer of Luxembourg suggests that 'the Bush administration should pursue a policy it has shunned for many years: attempt to negotiate directly with Iranian leaders about their nuclear program.

Statement published in the International date: 2006-05-02