There seems to be an emerging consensus that Israel will disarm or at least severely weaken Hezbollah over the next few weeks at which point an international force made up of either UN or NATO forces will be inserted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel. What happens after that? Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft looks back to Clinton era diplomacy to suggest a way forward in this Washington Post op-ed, Beyond Lebanon. Scowcroft suggests that the basic framework Clinton offered in 2000 (addressing the borders of a Palestinian state, the refugees, settlements, and the status of Jerusalem) can still be embraced by the powers in the region, but only if the U.S. is serious about brokering a comprehensive settlement. Given the challenges of brokering such an agreement, Scowcroft is quick to point out the many benefits:
The benefits of reaching a comprehensive settlement of the root cause of today's turmoil would likely ripple well beyond the Israelis and the Palestinians. A comprehensive peace settlement would not only defang the radicals in Lebanon and Palestine (and their supporters in other countries), it would also reduce the influence of Iran -- the country that, under its current ideology, poses the greatest potential threat to stability in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan.
posted by Joel @ 10:20 AM
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