Spring Break
Obama's negotiators will make changes in Middle East
Brandon Southward
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Forum
The image was striking and showed a dramatic departure from the foreign policy of the preceding president. There stood President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton at the State Department, announcing the appointments of two envoys to the Middle East. Richard Holbrooke was headed to the Pakistan-Afghanistan region, while George Mitchell was going the Israeli-Palestinian territory.
The message was clear: the U.S. was bringing diplomacy back to their foreign policy, and by appointing Mitchell and Holbrooke, we were serious about it. President Obama has talked about changing our tax, education, healthcare and infrastructure systems; his approach toward the Middle East suggests he plans on changing that region as well.
In selecting George Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East, particularly the Israeli and Palestinian territory, he is sending a man of tremendous credentials. Mitchell was a former majority leader in the Senate, chairman of Disney and an investigator of steroid use in baseball.
However, the most important experience he brings to the job is that he has worked out agreements between conflicting groups before. He was a major force in bringing about a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, an area that had been at war for decades with no end in sight. Mitchell brought the Protestants and the Roman Catholics together and hammered out an agreement, later known as the Belfast Peace Agreement. This paved the way for a far more peaceful Northern Ireland and allowed the citizens to govern more effectively.
Palestinians and Israelis will be trying to solve a conflict that for years has frustrated the international world. Mitchell is suited for this job because he is a listener and is patient, and that is what is needed when dealing specifically with those two factions. He recently left to go on a listening tour to hear all sides, and there are plans for numerous visits by him to the region to get an agreement in place before Obama leaves office.
The message was clear: the U.S. was bringing diplomacy back to their foreign policy, and by appointing Mitchell and Holbrooke, we were serious about it. President Obama has talked about changing our tax, education, healthcare and infrastructure systems; his approach toward the Middle East suggests he plans on changing that region as well.
In selecting George Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East, particularly the Israeli and Palestinian territory, he is sending a man of tremendous credentials. Mitchell was a former majority leader in the Senate, chairman of Disney and an investigator of steroid use in baseball.
However, the most important experience he brings to the job is that he has worked out agreements between conflicting groups before. He was a major force in bringing about a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, an area that had been at war for decades with no end in sight. Mitchell brought the Protestants and the Roman Catholics together and hammered out an agreement, later known as the Belfast Peace Agreement. This paved the way for a far more peaceful Northern Ireland and allowed the citizens to govern more effectively.
Palestinians and Israelis will be trying to solve a conflict that for years has frustrated the international world. Mitchell is suited for this job because he is a listener and is patient, and that is what is needed when dealing specifically with those two factions. He recently left to go on a listening tour to hear all sides, and there are plans for numerous visits by him to the region to get an agreement in place before Obama leaves office.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.