Via lgf, a fantastic article from Amity Shlaes.
Even while thinking that our administration has held a double standard, while listening to Rush and Hannity call the Bush on this, and while thinking that our President had lost his clarity of purpose regarding terrorism, I'd always thought that there might be another plan in place. Our current administration is very smart (regardless of what anyone wants to believe about Bush) and I figured that even while calling for more talks we were really maneuvering behind the scenes.
Shlaes puts in words what I had been thinking. Rather than explain what she says badly, I'll end with some of her words:
Consider, first of all, Mr Bush's speech. In the days and weeks before it, indeed ever since suicide bombing took hold in Israel, America's European allies have been telling Washington it must work harder on brokering peace. The arrival of a heavyweight such as Secretary of State Colin Powell could show both sides that the US is serious and that Mr Sharon and Mr Arafat must take it seriously. Europe therefore views the speech as a recognition of this reality.
Not so the White House. It generated the speech to show other things. One is, indeed, that it respects its allies and will take their demands - dispatching Mr Powell - seriously. But another was to put an ultimatum before Mr Arafat. In effect, Mr Bush said: all right, we will send Mr Powell. But if Mr Arafat then continues to allow suicide bombers and other forms of violence to emanate from his territory, he will no longer be acceptable as a negotiating partner.
It is important to remember that negotiation has been tried over and again in the case of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel. Following the Gulf war, the US spent close to a decade on the Oslo Accord. But the accord failed. Even after receiving the Nobel peace prize, Mr Arafat walked away from the peace offers made by Ehud Barak's government.
In short, the fundamental question about the US posture in the Middle East is: is America after talks or is it after action? The answer is action. In this view, calls for more talks - even the Pope's call for peace - appear outdated. Indeed, to many Americans, Europe seems to be in a dreamland over Iraq.
After all, the US tried negotiations and brokering before Mr Arafat walked away from the negotiating table almost two years ago, and again before September 11. The world saw then that this approach would not work.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
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