US President George W. Bush is scheduled to arrive in the region today to press forward with a mission into which many of his predecessors have put more effort and still failed. Many of his critics have already concluded that his belated push for Middle East peace during his final months in office is about as likely to succeed as the efforts of a lazy student who whittles away an entire semester in fraternity halls before cramming at the last minute for final exams.
Certainly, the odds are stacked against Bush, not only because of the existing obstacles to peace, such as the illegal expansions of Israeli colonies on occupied land, but also because of the questions that surround Bush's real intentions. As expected, some of the American president's enemies have denounced his efforts to restart the peace process as a charade designed to further advance Israeli interests, but even his closest friends in the region have publicly expressed skepticism over his sincerity - and over the prospects for a breakthrough. An editorial in a state-owned newspaper in Jordan, for example, warns that Bush cannot expect to reach a comprehensive agreement so long as he continues to treat the Jewish state "like a spoiled child."
Logic would hold that Bush's chances for success in this particular endeavor are lessened by the fact that a long string of failures precedes it. But the dark clouds in Iraq and Afghanistan may have a silver lining: As a result of these foreign policy lows, Bush may be all the more desperate to achieve something that would help balance his record and allow him to leave at least a mediocre legacy.
It is unfortunate that it may take concern for his own reputation to convince Bush and his advisers that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict needs resolving. To be sure, the president has spoken repeatedly of the need for Palestinians to have their own state. And his most reliable ally for such dubious projects as the Iraq war, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, spent years trying to get Washington to act. The Europeans have certainly figured it out, and even senior Israelis leaders have accepted the fact that the occupation has to end.
As everyone knows, though, talk is cheap. Unless Bush is prepared to do what must be done in order to get both sides to agree on a viable deal that protects their respective interests, he had best start shopping for a dustbin to store the legacy of his failed presidency. If he is determined to solve the problem, however, or even to hand off a workable peace process to his successor, many of his other failures will be forgotten. More than outgoing US president has longed for such an opportunity at redemption: Bush has had it laid before him on a silver platter.
Front Page Features