dreamdancer 0 #1 May 17, 2009 this is going to be interesting... QuoteLate tomorrow morning President Barack Obama will welcome Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu into the Oval Office at the White House. Leave five minutes for the pleasantries, 30 seconds for the coffee to be poured, and there will remain 84-and-a-half minutes left to kick-start what is perhaps the most ambitious bid to bring peace to the Middle East for nearly a decade. Once again, true to his campaign motto of "Yes We Can", Obama is boldly plunging in where others fear to tread. The next month will see an extraordinary series of meetings for the new president. Netanyahu will be followed to the White House by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority. Other regional allies will be consulted, envoys dispatched, world leaders called and cajoled. And then, in the first week of June, Obama himself will fly to Egypt, where he will deliver an historic speech aimed not just at outlining his own strategy for bringing peace to the Middle East, but also at reframing America's entire relationship with the Muslim world, so damaged during recent years. The contrast with his predecessors could hardly be greater. President George Bush was committed to isolating Iran while fighting in Iraq, and gave almost unconditional support to Israel; Obama has elected to engage with Iran, is withdrawing from Iraq, and has signalled a very different approach to the Jewish state. After the radical change that Bush sought in the Middle East comes a new bid to alter the geopolitical map of one of the world's most dangerous and critical strategic zones. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/17/obama-israel-egypt-middle-eaststay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #2 May 17, 2009 History has shown that US Administrations that use a sustained, proactive approach to the MidEast belligerents - which risks embarrassment, for its high potential to fail - tend to have more success in reducing hostilities than those that simply play it safe and don't stick their necks out. Too many administrations do little for years, and then make an anemic attempt at a quick spurt of diplomacy in their last few months in office, which of course produces nothing. At least this is a step toward taking the bull by its horns early on. Hopefully. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
