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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: frankw1900 who wrote (25809)	4/17/2002 6:40:24 PM
From: carranza2	Respond to of 281500

So, what would the project look like? You might want to take a look at the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. It has a good lead article advocating the imposition of a comprehensive peace plan on both sides. Blames the mechanics of the step-by-step processes used in the past for their failures. Mistrust builds during the development of each phase, leading to the failure of the whole. A completely reasonable suggestion. Ingeniously, the authors do not play the blame game. Instead, they set forth a pragmatic plan that takes into consideration the interests of the players. Both have to give up a lot to gain a lot. The devil is in the details, which I did not capture sufficiently to discuss. An excellent topic for the future. As clearly the US would have a major role in the imposition of the plan, an open question is whether the US has the will or the resources to lead such a drastic change of course in view of the imminent attack on Iraq.

To: frankw1900 who wrote (25809)	4/17/2002 7:02:21 PM
From: skinowski	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Good try, but, IMO, no cigar. I like Abdullah’s plan better. Israel in every conceivable way is a thorn in the side of the Arab world - politically, culturally, religiously, socio-economically, etc., etc. Arabs were unable for almost 55 years to find enough reason to allow Israel to exist. The real solution to the great dilemma is to be found among the greater Arab powers. If, for reasons of their own, they would decide to accept Israel, violence against that country would rapidly become “unfashionable”. I am convinced that if the Arabs REALLY decide to accept Israel’s right to exist, Israelis will vote out of office any official who would not do what has to be done to achieve peace. Foreign guarantors would be unnecessary in this case… and if this is not the case, they would be useless. American or Russian soldiers would have just as much trouble fighting urban Guerrillas as their Israeli counterparts. Abdullah talks about accepting Israel’s right to exist. I don’t think he started this initiative before giving it the most careful consideration. (I don’t mean to be dismissive of your ideas. I’m sure that many of them may ‘click in’ along the way)

To: frankw1900 who wrote (25809)	4/17/2002 7:22:46 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I believe Pat Buchanan hit a considerable number of key points in that article as well.. But I don't necessarily see Arafat being put in a situation where he has to capitulate or seek martyrdom.. The Palestinians are going to getting their state, IMO.. But the Israelis are going to clean house and eliminate most of the significant terrorist infrastructure and collect all the documentary evidence they require to irrefutably link Arafat to terror, drug smuggling, and organized crime in general.. Which shouldn't be all to hard to accomplish, given Arafat's obsessive control over all PA financial matters. So what will be left is a hollow shell of a military force as compared to what existed before, a continuing Israeli proclivity to conduct security operations that Arafat is unwilling/unable to conduct, and a general sense of order being established in the region. Arafat will still be "boss", but he'll have relatively little power... And eventually the Palestinian people will tire of the constant conflict, lack of work, and deteriorating economic situation and hopefully realize that the path to peace is not through violence. The Israelis are fighting for the very survival of their nation-state, while the Palestinians are fighting to establish theirs for the first time in history..... Something tells me that eventually even the Palestinians will recognize that so long as they threaten the very survival of Israel, they will NEVER have a "homeland" of their own. Hawk