Recently, I read an article pertaining to President Obama's Middle East Peace Plan. The New York Times said "Obama acknowledged in an interview published last week that he underestimated the domestic political forces at play in the region and overreached in expecting a quick breakthrough." This from a man who won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
While, I, unlike many others, do not have any specific issues with Obama as a President, I find this statement to be very troubling. Ignoring the fact that Obama is continuing in the footsteps of his predecessors; demanding that Israel make the first move towards peace. The fact that Israel, and the world are relying on a man who foresaw a quick breakthrough were others have constantly failed is worrisome.
Did Obama really believe that peace could be achieved this quickly? Did he truly expect that two nations who have been fighting for over sixty two years would suddenly bend to his will?
It is not as if he had a revolutionary plan for peace. He is just doing what every other president before him has done. They have turned to Israel and said "you are more mature, you make the first move."
I may not have the solution that will lead to peace in the Middle East, but I do not that it will take something radical before anything will happen to change the current situation. Charisma will only get you so far.
I find it intriguing that he managed to underestimate the political forces at play in the region. They only have been killing one another and fighting over every blade of grass for the sixty two years. In the USA many people believe that President Obama is the voice of change; singlehandedly he will bring about the change needed to save the country. I wonder, how a man with such optimistic foresight can be so wrong about something so simple. Peace in the Middle East? In a year? Even Bush was not that oblivious.
Maybe we should give Obama the benefit of the doubt. He is not lying in the interview; he is just oblivious to the facts. Allow me to clarify:
1) Israelis and Palestinians both want the same land
2) They are not good at sharing
3) Palestinians continuously try killing innocent Israeli civilians
4) Israelis have taken the "first step" quite a few times
5) Palestinians enjoy the Israelis good will gestures and give nothing in return
6) Their is a religious war happening in Israel on a daily basis
7) It may take some time to settle their differences (more than a year)
To clarify, President Obama seems to have been overly optimistic without truly understanding the situation. He set unrealistic goals despite the obvious outcome.
It just makes you wonder, what else has he done this by?
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