Tuesday, March 23, 2010
This is just a quick link to follow -- an "aside." These are links to interesting things that, for one reason or another, I didn't place into a full posting. Click the link to visit the full article. Go to the blog index for a regular listing of posts.
In Middle East, Public Diplomacy Is the Wrong Approach - '...Disagreements are common, but generally they have not been made as bitingly public. Nothing positive comes out of public negotiations or public controversy. If issues are to be resolved, it will happen only through private channels and private dialogue. What can be retrieved? Above all, it is unwise to elevate Jerusalem as an issue in the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis because the question of Jerusalem is so emotional for both parties. Each of them would find it impossible to find a compromise if attempts occurred in public and without an agreement on the other issues. The status of Jerusalem should be raised only at the very end of a negotiation...'
