Tim Fernholz considers how our allies in the Middle East help abet conflict:
Last weekend, Tom Friedman, America’s favorite middle-brow international optimist, threw up his hands in disgust. Though he made his name as a journalist covering Israel and its rivals and gained notoriety with continued calls to take just one more six-month stint in Iraq, Friedman now says enough is enough in the Middle East peace process:
Let’s just get out of the picture. Let all these leaders stand in front of their own people and tell them the truth: ‘My fellow citizens: Nothing is happening; nothing is going to happen. It’s just you and me and the problem we own.’
…Indeed, it’s time for us to dust off James Baker’s line: ‘When you’re serious, give us a call: 202-456-1414. Ask for Barack.’
It has a certain appeal, doesn’t it? The United States has spent so much time out in the world trying to solve problems that our involvement seems to prolong the status quo as often as change it. Given the challenges we face at home, the idea that we should remove ourselves from certain conflicts until we’re asked back in — not withdrawing from the international system, just from international quagmires — seems intuitive.
