From the print version of the May 29-June 4 issue, a coupla excerpts from an article reviewing America's role in the middle east; these excerpts come from the "gee I didn't know that but once stated, why, it makes a lotta sense" department.
On brokering peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 2002, Bush proposed a forum to promote Palestinian peace. After the war, he settled down to work, "to urge progress."
A year on, there has been none, and the appearance of failure on both flanks of the Middle East has become self-reinforcing. In just the way that many Americans see no distinction between the terrorirms of al Qaeda and the terrorism of the Palestinian intifada, so many Arabs see no distinction beteen Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and America's occupation of Iraq. Both conflicts are portrayed on Arabic satellite channels as similar dramas of national or Islamic resistance.
And from the conclusion of the article,
America could do more in Palestine. After Iraq, it needs to more than ever. Note, though, how many of the people who believe that it is impotent in Iraq also assume that it is all-powerful when it comes to ending a conflict that has perplexed the great powers for a century.
(We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog-drivel; this Memorial Day weekend attempt at seriousness now draws to an end.)
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