[New York Post] Ralph Peters - It's the American way: a can-do spirit, the conviction that no problem's too tough for us. But, in the real world (and in the bizarre fantasyland of Arab culture), some foreign problems can't be resolved equitably. If we want to help at all, the fundamental requirement is to have realistic expectations. Whether the American administration is Republican or Democrat, it pressures Israel for concessions - since the Arabs won't make any. Prisoner releases precede each summit; territorial handovers come under discussion. For their parts, Arab leaders and their representatives assume we're sufficiently honored if they just show up. Yes, there's merit just in bringing folks together and keeping them talking. But the baseline difficulty is that we want to solve problems for people who don't really want those problems solved.
2007-11-30 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive