51st: The politics of muddle through
January 21, 2011, 11:58 am
Posted by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels
Aaron David Miller, former ME diplomat, and author of The Too Much Promised Land, is one of the more thoughtful and careful observers of U.S.-Israel negotiations.
He has this in Politico: “Muddle through is usually given a bad name — particularly by the energizer bunnies of U.S. diplomacy who want engagement and solutions. But under current circumstances, it may not be such a bad idea.” Miller offers four strands for Administration policy to pursue as part of muddling through. My two-cents: The U.S. may have already lost our capacity for command and control here, and perhaps “muddle through” should be interpreted as “Do no (more) harm.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47941.html#ixzz1BgmKc0o1
As Aaron David Miller points out, the status quo is”particularly bad” for the Palestinians. But he asks us to set aside their “difficulties” and focus on the political difficulties President Obama and the Israeli politicians face! This has been the story since 1967–US and Israeli interests always trump Palestinian interests.
And if the Palestinians have waited this long, why won’t they wait “a while longer.” Some magical day a US President will be able to actively challenge the Israelis to seek a compromise without having to take any political risk at home. (That will be the day!)
At the moment US-trained Palestinian Security Forces seem content to enforce the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian population seems cowed by the Israeli Defense Force. What’s the rush?
And when the next Infatada erupts, Islamic terrorist (who will obviously be acting under the direction of Iran) will be labeled the saboteurs of the “peace by solidifying the status quo” process.
Mr. Miller says that the status quo is particularly bad for the Palestinians. Can’t he see that legitimizing a permanent status quo leaves the Palestinians only one option–a suicidal resort to violence? How is his call for a policy of “muddling through” any different than the advocacy of a continuation of the cycle of violence and repression that has marked the occupation of the West Band and Gaza since 1967?
It looks like there may be a fork in the road for U.S. policy if a UN resolution is put forth to declare a Palestinian state. A report in Ha’aretz notes that several former U.S. diplomats and officials have written a letter urging the president to cast a “yes” vote…though the U.S. could also abstain, I think. The story does not mention the names. Here: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/former-u-s-diplomats-to-obama-support-un-draft-condemning-israeli-settlements-1.338565