(Foreign Policy) Aaron David Miller - Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly talks about "last chances" for a two-state solution. This narrative assumes that if Israel makes the right choices, then a conflict-ending solution to the Palestinian issue and Israel's acceptance in the region can be assured. And then everyone will live happily ever after. But there's another narrative too. That Israel, despite all the challenges it has confronted and the odds arrayed against it, has managed to cope, survive, and prosper. Political Zionism was always a defiance of history, and will continue to be. This narrative suggests that it's a cruel and unforgiving world when it comes to Israelis and Jews. It posits the notion that there are no truly happy endings, only imperfect ones: That ending the conflict with the Palestinians will be hard, if not impossible, to do; that at best only a temporary solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can be found (and even that could lead to military confrontation); and that the Arab world - far from turning into a land of functioning democracies - will be filled with dysfunction and uncertainty for many years to come. So, while Israel's actions make a difference, solutions to all these problems may well prove elusive and imperfect, regardless of what Israel does or doesn't do. This line of thinking holds out the possibility that what's in store for Israel is a difficult path of maneuver in a harsh world. But by no means is it a course that will lead to its ruin. The writer is vice president at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
2013-11-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive