(Al-Ahram-Egypt) Immanuel Wallerstein - Will the election of Mahmoud Abbas make any difference? Many hope so, but the chances are thin. The Israel/Palestine conflict is one of those long-lasting conflicts in which each side represents a group which has profoundly opposing interests such that there is no way that both sides can achieve their maximal objectives. This means that, short of the total elimination by one side of the other, the only solution is a political compromise that is extremely painful. This is exactly why these conflicts are long-lasting. A settlement requires that the leaders of each side are in a strong enough position to bring along the overwhelming majority of their constituents when they make painful compromises. This is exactly what is missing. Abbas is being hailed by the press as someone whose style and outlook is different from that of Arafat. Style yes, outlook probably not. The writer is director of the Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems, and Civilizations at Binghamton University (SUNY), New York, and senior research scholar at Yale University.
2005-01-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive