(Wall Street Journal) Bret Stephens - Victory in Iraq has given President Bush the leverage to impose his will on recalcitrant Arab leaders. The challenge now for the administration is to use its leverage to accelerate the process of Palestinian reform demanded by the president in last year's June 24 speech. By itself, the rise of Mr. Abbas offers no clear indication that this is what will happen. Efforts to sideline Arafat by installing him in some symbolic role not only are doomed to failure, but also doom the Palestinian reform efforts on which Mr. Bush's road map hinges. Arafat must be made to depart, ideally by the Palestinians themselves, if necessary by some third party.
2003-04-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive