Middle East & North Africa / Comment
Annapolis: three lame ducks in search of peace
03/12/2007 By George Emile Irani
The recent gathering in Annapolis was another attempt to find a lasting solution to a conflict that has lasted for more than half a century. The Bush administration’s major objectives in convening the talks were directed at answering both internal and international policy concerns.
With elections just around the corner and the end of his mandate drawing near, Bush is in desperate need of a foreign policy success, especially in light of the disaster in Iraq. So far the war there has resulted in the deaths of more than one million Iraqis and more than 3,000 US soldiers.
Perhaps the most significant things to come of the meeting is the simple fact that high-level talks took place with the presence of delegations that have no diplomatic relations with Israel (ie: Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Syria). The other important development is President Bush’s personal commitment to keep the process moving.
It is also worth noting that Israel’s Prime Minister Olmert and the Palestine Authority’s President Abbas are willing to reengage and explore a possible agreement on the issues that have dogged negotiators for years: Israeli settlements, the status of Jerusalem, the question of borders, Palestinian refugees and their right of return, in addition to the question of water sharing and security.
Bush, Olmert and Abbas are three lame ducks faced with daunting internal and external challenges. In this Comment article, George Irani examines the strategic aims of both Washington and the other parties engaged in Annapolis.
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Keywords
Dialogue Iran Iraq Israel Lebanon Middle East Peace Peace process Refugees Syria United States USRelated publications
Bio author: George Emile Irani
George Emile Irani is Director for the Africa and the Middle East Programme for the Toledo International for Peace (CITPAX) in Madrid, Spain. Until June 2005 he was a Professor in the Peace and Conflict Studies Division at Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada. Prior to that, he was senior policy analyst with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
