From an unlikely publication (Huffington Post) and from unlikely sources (a Wharton professor and a negotiations "expert") comes some generally sound advice for Obama on the Palestinian conflict. The article recommends that Obama:
1. Avoid proposing simple solutions to complex problems. Look for causal linkages, not just proximity. Stopping movie downloads won't stop the rain, and stopping the construction of new settlements won't end centuries of misunderstanding and grievances.
2. Work with these linkages and with the situation as it is, not as he would want it to be. For example, if the Palestinians think they can get all of Palestine just by waiting, President Obama needs to create a better option, either by making it clear that they cannot just wait, or by offering them something they cannot get just by waiting.
3. Understand the complexity of the problem as it is. Making a problem undiscussable does not make the problem go away. President Obama seems to believe that use of phrases like "radical Islam" suggests Americans view Islamic states as terrorists and that the phrase should be banished; actually, this phrase suggests that the
4. Above all, President Obama should do no harm. Although this is a
I'll take exception to the authors' objection to the use of the phrase "radical Islam" (although they aptly note that Obama's aversion to descriptions of our enemies amounts to foolish denial). However, they get to the root of Obama's error in dealing with the Palestinian problem: he's not operating in the real world. It's no accident his Cairo speech zipped past 60 years of Palestinian rejectionism or that he avoids talking about Israel's multiple offers of a Palestinian state — these are unpleasant facts at odds with his linkages and that suggest he is, at best, doing nothing productive and, at worst, making things worse.
It is ironic in the extreme that this is the "ideology is so yesterday" crowd. In fact, "ideology" in the worst sense of the word — and as the Obami intend it, as a dig at George W. Bush — is the insistence on seeing the world through dogmatic blinders, impervious to facts and reason. It is precisely what Obama is all about when it comes to the U.S.-Palestinian conflict and why he is dangerously not following the most important bit of advice — "do no harm."
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1 comment:
Many folks around me were happy about Obamas promising new approach, it felt so fresh and new. They (including myself) said: "It's worth the try and if it turns out to be no success, it still can be changed to be a bit more " (Many, including me, do not see the good sides of this guys turn, although they clearly exist, tbh) Now, my doubts towards such a change increase gradually and this article was not intended to lower them ;-) Actually i was never free of them. If the BO-Administration is so convinced of the correctness - and so it seems - whey should they change it now? Now, i see the real meaning of "change", it has already taken place and no further change is to be expected regarding this particular issue, i'm afraid. Oh, and i liked reading this; guess this blog deserves more attention.
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