Home pagePress CenterIn the Media Anthony Cordesman, the CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, and Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, were quoted by the New York Times, "As Bush Term Wanes, Mideast Peace Appears Elusive as Ever."
In the Media | Detail
Anthony Cordesman, the CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, and Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, were quoted by the New York Times, "As Bush Term Wanes, Mideast Peace Appears Elusive as Ever."
The 2008 race for the White House is casting a long shadow over President Bush. So long, in fact, that it may extend all the way to the Middle East.
When Israeli and Palestinian leaders committed themselves to peace talks after meeting in Annapolis, Md., last November, Mr. Bush had hopes of ending his presidency on a foreign policy high note, with a deal for the contours of a Palestinian state. But with Mr. Bush headed to the region this week for the second time in five months, peace seems as elusive as ever — and some are looking to his successor.
“In some ways, this is the roadshow cast of ‘Waiting for Godot,’ ” said Anthony H. Cordesman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He said the trip would “basically set a marker while everybody waits for the next president,” while other analysts predicted the most Mr. Bush could accomplish would be to hand over a working peace process to his successor. The five-day trip, which will begin Tuesday, will revolve around the 60th anniversary of Israel’s founding, but will also take Mr. Bush to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. For the White House, the timing is hardly ideal. [...]
“It’s hard to remember a less auspicious time to pursue Arab-Israeli peacemaking than right now,” Mr. Alterman said. “The politics on the ground are absolutely miserable. U.S. power and influence are at low ebb in the region. The Bush administration is beset by challenges — the combination of a faltering economy, persistent difficulties in Iraq and a growing threat from Iran — all at a time that the president’s popularity is at a historical low, and his administration is settling more and more into lame duck status.” Read the article
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