Why does this page look this way?
It appears that you are using either an older, classic Web browser or a hand-held device that allows you to view our content but may not work with every feature of our site. If you are using an older browser, please upgrade for the best experience.
![]()
Home |
Site Index |
FAQs |
Contact |
RSS
|
Podcast
Navigation
home > by publication type > op-eds > The Gipper's Mideast Playbook
| Author: | Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|
April 6, 2007
Wall Street Journal
It is easy to exaggerate the importance of the Palestinian problem. Solving it will not affect the situation in Iraq, where disagreements over the eventual borders of a Palestinian state may be the only reason Iraq’s Sunnis and Shia are not killing one another. Solving it will not affect the pace of Iranian efforts to enrich uranium. Nor will establishing a Palestinian state end terrorism or reconcile Islam with the modern world.
Still, pushing for a settlement makes sense. It would combat anti-Americanism and bolster U.S. standing, not just in the Arab and Muslim worlds, but throughout Europe. It would do wonders for Israelis, who could live a more normal life and focus their security concerns on Iran. It would allow Arab regimes to likewise concentrate on the Iranian and Shia challenges and give them confidence to undertake internal reform. And, of course, a solution would give Palestinians a state of their own and the chance for a prosperous and peaceful existence.
Alas, a settlement any time soon is not in the cards. This is not because of the absence of a reasonable plan. That exists. Rather, what is missing is leadership in either Israel or the Palestinian areas that is both able and willing to compromise for peace and make those compromises stick.
![]()
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
![]()
![]()
This report argues that the United States must lead with domestic action on climate change and proposes a U.S. negotiating strategy for a global UN climate agreement that includes commitments from all major economies, while also promoting a less formal Partnership for Climate Cooperation that would focus the world's largest emitters on implementing aggressive emissions reductions.
This Task Force report examines changes in Latin America and in U.S. influence there, while taking account of the region's enduring importance to the United States. The Task Force offers an agenda for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four critical areas that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
About Independent Task Forces at the Council.
![]()
By Region | By Issue | By Publication Type | The Think Tank | For The Media | For Educators | About CFR
Home | Site Index | FAQ | Contact | RSS | Podcast
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.

