[Jerusalem Post] Gerald Steinberg - The Obama Administration's decision to jump into the preparations for the UN's Durban Review Conference is a bold but risky move. If the Americans succeed in reversing the agenda so that it actually focuses on discrimination against minorities around the world, and is not another platform for anti-Israel obsession, it would mark a major success and set the stage for restoring U.S. influence and values. Alternatively, if this strategy fails, and the text remains poisonous, an American-led walkout with the 27 members of the EU and some others would delegitimize the Durban process. However, if Washington hesitates and compromises, allowing the Organization of the Islamic Conference and like-minded NGOs to control the agenda, the participation of the world's democracies will do immense damage.
2009-02-17 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive