Wasted Diplomacy

The New Republic: After Years Of Neglect, Bush Missed His Chance To Solve Israel-Palestinian Conflict

(The New Republic)  This column was written by Suzanne Nossel.

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Condoleezza Rice and her boss have finally heeded calls to "re-engage" in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Think tanks, advocacy organizations, members of Congress, Tony Blair, King Abdullah of Jordan, the Iraq Study Group, and others have all cited such involvement as a key way to dig the administration out of its foreign policy hole. They argue that renewed U.S. leadership in the conflict will help solve a panoply of U.S. foreign policy problems, ranging from the Iraq war to terrorism to the rise of anti-Americanism globally. Some have speculated that the secretary of state and president view a Middle East breakthrough as their last, best hope for a legacy that goes beyond the failures of Iraq.

In a unique showing of diplomatic sisterhood, Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have partnered in a high-profile initiative purportedly aimed at rejuvenating a number of different moribund peace plans. These include the frayed 2002 Road Map, charted in Washington, and a Saudi proposal proffered that same year. Rice has jetted to the region three times this year to convene talks between the parties.

But Rice's shuttle diplomacy efforts aren't working — and they shouldn't be expected to. For reasons of timing, personality, and politics (both in the region and back home) current efforts to jumpstart the peace process won't go anywhere. If the Bushies were paying any attention, they'd know this.

As Rice herself has acknowledged, the creation of a Palestinian unity government bringing together Hamas and Fatah in February made her challenge harder. That government has made clear it does not intend to fulfill at least the first two out of the three preconditions laid down for international recognition of a Hamas-led government: recognizing Israel, renouncing violence, and committing to adhere to past agreements. The result is that one of the parties to Rice's mediation is a government non grata.

Then there are leadership problems on the Israeli side, too. The fraught Lebanon war waged last summer dashed hopes that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could pick up the mantle of his predecessor and patron, the fallen (and still comatose) Ariel Sharon. Olmert's blunders have shaken the Israeli people's sense of security, pushing the country into a cagey posture that makes bold moves forward nearly impossible. Livni now waits in the wings, using her alliance with Rice to build global stature that may help her replace a damaged Olmert.

The third leg of the stool — Washington — is equally if not more weak. U.S. leverage over Israel's Arab neighbors is at a historic low. The Saudis reportedly just snubbed Bush by canceling a state dinner the White House had planned for their king. Between Iraq and mushrooming scandals back home, Bush lacks the muscle and attention span to do the sort of global cajoling necessary to get the main parties, their supporters, and key global powers onto the same page. And no one else can do it for him.

Meanwhile, the facts on the ground are getting worse, not better. Hamas is borrowing from Hezbollah's playbook by stockpiling weapons and explosives in underground lairs, waiting (and maybe planning) for a major confrontation. The organization is also arraying its own counterweight to the Fatah-controlled Palestinian security force, an irregular militia that Israel claims is being trained in Iran. Negotiations over the release of an Israeli soldier captured last summer have stalled.

These stumbling blocks were depressingly predictable. Throughout his first term, Bush was rightly criticized by Democrats for failing to pick up where Bill Clinton had left off, instead leaving the peace process to stagnate and, like a motionless bicycle, falter. While Bush declared his support for a two-state solution, his hands-off approach caused the two parties to drift away from the rapprochement that Clinton nearly pulled off in his waning days in office. Washington's shock at Hamas' ascension to power in the Palestinian election last January proved that the neglect was anything but benign.

Still, the most recent calls for engagement have tended to be either cynical or misguided. Once Iraq went into a tailspin, the moment for intensive U.S. engagement in the Middle East peace process passed. America's political credibility in the region, its diplomatic resources, and its sway with key supporting players have all been spent. While Democrats are right not to drop their calls for reviving the process, they know as well as anyone that the timing is badly off.

For this and other reasons, the idea that a graceful exit from Iraq could come in the form of an Israeli-Palestinian breakthrough has never made sense. The Iraq Study Group's report maintained that the region's conflicts were "inextricably linked," but it failed to explain how the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict was suddenly going to get settled in time to help calm three years of sectarian strife in Iraq.

Why has the administration bothered to mount a diplomatic initiative that's bound to stall? For one, it gives the secretary of state something to talk about other than Iraq. It also gets her out of Washington, where patience for the administration is running out. Mindful that there are those who really believe Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be linked, the administration may think it can deflect responsibility for Iraq's tailspin onto the failure of a wider circle of powers to get their region under control.

That's not to say no good will come out of Rice's efforts. The United States is getting used to being back in the driver's seat of the Mideast peace process, even if the car is at a standstill for now. The parties, as of last week, have agreed to meet every fortnight to discuss practical and logistical issues. This may mean that, assuming a new administration can bring new credibility, the diplomatic engine can fire up more quickly than it would be able to otherwise. That's better than the utter indifference the Bushies showed toward the peace process during their first six years in office. But not by much.

[grumpas]

You said it all bluestardad! This administration will not use diplomacy to dig us out of the mess they got us into! It isn't against the law for the Speaker of the House to step up to the plate and perform a service the administration obviously isn't capable of! It has happened before in the past it isn't something new! Most of the time we have a President who will at least try diplomacy rather than reject it! The fact is I haven't saw a person in this administration that is remotely competent to lead a country! All of their attitudes are "It's my way or the highway!"! Which is a tragic mistake for any government to be making! When you slam the door on diplomacy what else is left but constant war??????

[knyghtwolf]

Side by side articles in the news by the same news agency, Saddam's ties to al-Qaida discounted while second lead story states that Cheney reasserts al-Qaida-Saddam link. Here's a good strong reason why we are in the s h i t hole we are, Truth versus Lies, look beyond the obvious and see the truth as it really is....the truth of GREED at OUR expense, the very leaders elected by WE, THE PEOPLE, of the United States of America. Who works for Whom?

[knyghtwolf]

Imagine if you will, everyone here meeting in a room to discuss how to save the United States & the rest of the world. Wonder if anything of a logical nature get resolved? Would free beer & pretzels work for snacks? I guess from seeing first hand how bush operated as govenor of texass, & meeting him on campus, I knew he would be the worst president ever elected. Even then, no one ever thought he would get it. Midland used to have billboards that said, "Midland, Home of Presidents." They are gone now, a lot of my friends in Midland have said that they wish they had never even heard of bush, and after that little incident with laura bush being drunk, a car accident & someone dying from it, etc etc...new stories keep popping up all the time, remeberances that had been swept under the republican carpet. I can't wait to see the differences in how its administrations actions are taught in high school versus being taught in college universities, provided our country survives. funny how my daughter likens politics being linked to criminal behavior such as drug dealers, serial killers, & embezzlement. I make it a rule to never discuss politics with my children for obvious reasons, but they can read and form their own opinions. I would support the house speaker long before Rice in doing anything. The WHOLE administration is a well orchestrated failure self induced.

[bluestardad]

This picture looks like something out of MAD Magazine!

[opfor311]

It is a crying shame that the Speaker is trying her hand at Diplomacy.

First of all, it's unconsitional for the legislative branch to be engaged in Diplomacy, since that power is granted to the executive branch.

Secondly, she is making a complete hash of it. She has already misrepresented what the Israeli told her, been hoodwincked by Assad, and managed to offend the Saudis.

As far as the point of the article, there has been no lost opportunity, since bringing peace between the Israelis and the Palistinians is a fool's errand. Clinton was able to get the Israelis to offer as much as they could, short of commiting suicide. However, Arafat did the only thing he could do, and not be killed by his own people, and refused the deal. It will probably be at least one generation before we could even have a chance of peace between these groups.

[ajmarine1]

I'm not a fan of Bill Clinton, but he tried his hardest to bring peace to the Middle East and Arafat turned down the best offer that he was going to get. Now, it's Bushs fault that there is no peace deal in the works.

They don't want peace, they want the Jews dead. No matter who or what administration is in office, there will be no peace. War should be declared and winner take all is the only way to end all this.

[dallison7]

Name one thing that Rice has accomplished during her tenure as Sec. of State.

We should demand she refund all wages and travel expenses.

[heartlight3]

I have seen no evidence that anyone in this administration has what it takes to conduct effective or productive diplomacy in the middle east. Effective diplomacy requires tact, cultural awareness and understanding, creativity, and the ability to negotiate consensus and compromise; all of which, as far as I can see, are sadly lacking in anyone in this administration. I would hope that whoever gets elected as the next president makes use of the available people who are masters in this area. I think we should send Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter over there to help negotiate a peaceful resolution of the political and economic issues preventing peaceful coexistence. It is possible for greatly diverse points of view to exist peacefully in the same space. Violence is not the way to peace.

[marcodele]

Another excellent post bluestardad.

I think Bush entered his presidency thinking that his "I'm not speaking to you anymore" spoiled brat routine would spur countries to sit up and beg.

His arrogance could still get us all killed.

[bluestardad]

It is a crying shame that the Speaker of the House has to take it upon herself to go represent America because our own Secretary of State is so incompetent and inept at everything and the State Department is in Ruin. Secretary Rice could not even be trusted to go to Korea to negotiate with them on their nuclear program dismantling, we sent one of her underlings. Remember Condi Rice was National Security Advisor who blew off the Security Briefing August 2001 that was titled, Bin Laden Planning Attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft. She said there was no actionable intelligence. That is what she told Congress! Can anyone in America believe this woman is still in office representing America? Her ineptitude has cost Thousands of American Lives; she should be tried for being stupid and put in Rehab somewhere for her lack of foresight, inaction and betrayal of the American Trust! Americans spoke November 7, 2006 and told the Republicans they wanted out of the War in Iraq, accountability, and a change in Direction in American policy. Nancy Pelosi is representing the Majority of American People and is trying to execute that mandate given her by the American People! Yes, Nancy Pelosi should not have to go to the Middle East but out of Necessity she has to. No one in the Bush Administration is competent enough to do so!