CIAO DATE: 02/2009
December 2008
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
During the campaign, President-elect Obama emphasized the need for greater diplomacy and a willingness to engage with hostile regimes. This commitment to "return to diplomacy" will not be enough to break the deadlock in the Middle East. Obama should break from traditional U.S. posture and support peace initiatives originating with Arab countries, urges a new paper by the director of the Carnegie Middle East Program.
Marina Ottaway explains that the United States lacks the legitimacy and capacity to monopolize leadership in the peace process. The new administration should signal its support for three key Arab undertakings: Syrian-Israeli negotiations under Turkish leadership, Hamas-Fatah talks brokered by Egypt, and the Arab-Israeli initiative most recently proposed by Saudi Arabia.
Resource link: Sharing the Burden in the Middle East [PDF] - 213K