President George W. Bush made a disappointing speech on Sunday in Abu Dhabi when he sought to summarise the key points of his new Middle East strategy in the keynote address of his current trip to the region.
He failed to offer any specific policies, preferring to repeat a simplistic insistence on the introduction of democracy, freedom and justice in the region.
It was very disappointing that there was little that had not been said before, and that Bush's vision does not include any genuine policies. He does not have anything new to offer to the region.
The most startling failure to offer specific policies was when he spoke of the negotiations ongoing in Palestine. He did not offer any new vision or determination, but made the two observations that the Palestinian and Israeli leaders will have to make tough decisons, and that they will have to work against the extremists.
The on-going talks in Palestine need more than such vague observations. Bush's hopes for these talks ignore the long-held condition by Arab nations that rapprochement with Israel can only start once there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel would love to have access to the Arab markets but the Arabs are clear: peace before the rewards.
In addition to his main theme of democracy, Bush continued to attack Iran. He listed the organisations that he said Iran was using to export its "state sponsored terror" and he looked forward to a change of regime in Tehran.
This contrasts starkly with the more measured Arab approach, which is to engage Iran in dialogue and work to find a mutual solution to differences, whch is more likely to be lasting than American grandstanding.
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