Bush's mid-east winter holiday
George W Bush wrapped up a three-day trip to Israel and the West Bank confident that a "signed peace treaty" bringing a Palestinian state into being would be agreed within the year. The American president met with top Israeli and Palestinian officials in what amounted to a follow-up to the Annapolis peace conference in November. Bush administration officials hope to wring a deal out of Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas before the president ends his term in the White House a year from now. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
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toD's view: Though brimming with confidence, Bush leaves in his wake decidedly jaded and uncertain partners to the Annapolis process. Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders suggested that it would be difficult to reach any kind of comprehensive deal within the year. Bush has been consistently accused of being "disconnected" from the political realities of the region. How, for instance, can a meaningful Palestinian state be created without the participation - and recognition - of Hamas? Cynicism surrounding Bush's visit was deepened by glib remarks made by the president about checkpoints, and by his refusal to take part in a tour of Bethlehem which would have passed Israeli barriers and military posts. The president seems intent to hurriedly fashion a positive legacy in the region, but as a Palestinian surgeon told the New York Times, "He won't achieve anything. He is trying to do something in his last year, but where was he before?"
US Democrats vs Pakistan, round two
Pakistani officials have rejected US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's call for Bush to cut funding to Pakistan if President Pervez Musharraf does not restore full civil rights and wage the fight against terrorism more effectively. Reid also cited the murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as further evidence of Musharraf's failures. Since 2001, Islamabad has received nearly $10 billion in aid to fight the "war on terrorism", much of which was siphoned off by the military for ulterior purposes. US Democrats, including presidential candidate Barack Obama, have criticised the Musharraf-Bush alliance in the past, suggesting that American troops were required in the restless northwestern border regions of Pakistan where Taliban and al-Qaida elements hold sway.
toD's view: Musharraf's government has much to account for. Under the general's rule, many basic democratic freedoms have disappeared, while Islamist, insurgent and other political violence exacts a grim toll across the country every day. It is clear that for any measure of stability to return to Pakistan, the ubiquitous presence of the military must be curtailed and a program of serious, long-term developmental and political reform must be ushered in.
That said, the Democrats have done little to help Pakistan, or enlighten US policy to the beleaguered country. Obama's suggestion that US forces move on Waziristan had catastrophe written all over it - any such invasion would shred what tenuous control Musharraf still has over the more strident and Islamist factions of the army, throwing Pakistan into chaos. In the short-term, Washington's best option for stabilising Pakistan remains fashioning an alliance between Musharraf and a moderate opposition leader. Compromising Musharraf's position - as much as the president merits criticism - may prove counterproductive.
Last year, Democratic leaders sought to pass a wholly ill-advised bill recognising the Armenian genocide, and succeeded only in embittering Turkey, driving Ankara to its current confrontational course in northern Iraq. It is a shame that Democrats continue to play this breed of politics with foreign policy, not simply because they do it so badly and naively, but because it should be the opposition's responsibility to raise America's standing in the globe, not further imperil it.
Snow falls in Iraq
For the first time in recent memory, snow fell over the streets of Baghdad. Residents saw the snow as a sign of hope for their embattled country. Traffic policeman Murtada Fadhil said, "We hope Iraqis will purify their hearts and politicians will work for the prosperity of all Iraqis." Reuters video below.
