Annapolis Hors D'Oeurvres: The Golan Heights

November 24, 2007 - The plot has thickened. In the weeks leading up to Tuesday's Arab-Israeli peace summit in Annapolis, Syria, technically still at "war" with Israel, has repeatedly made it known to Condoleezza Rice and President Bush that it will neither enter into peace talks with Israel nor attend the summit if the Golan Heights are not put "on the table". Reports now indicate that both Rice and Bush have consented to the Syrian demand.

Not for nothing, if the Syrian envoy observes that all is not going as he'd hoped in Annapolis, he may want to consider appealing to Damascus' First Lady herself, Nancy Pelosi. Her penchant for "causing a stir" is substantially documented.

U.S. Middle East Policy: From Failure in Baghdad to Desperation in Jerusalem

November 24, 2007 - "Desperation". "Weakness". These are common denominators that may surface when delving into the mindsets of U.S. President George W. Bush, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, and PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the days leading up to the highly-maligned Annapolis peace summit. Given the dire nature and lethal repercussions vis-à-vis an Arab-Israeli "peace" process that has a penchant for jumping the tracks, one can, with every certainty, come to the conclusion that the ingredients of "weakness" and "desperation", when thrown into the "kettle" of Middle Eastern diplomacy, yield unmitigated disaster. Still, the kettle has been lit and when the three leaders, as well as representatives from 46 other countries who simply could not pass up the invitation, convene in Annapolis next week, let it be known that the bargaining chips are not on the table with the hope that peace, as it were, will be achieved. On the contrary, Bush, Olmert, and Abbas merely require a peace that will be perceived.

Read: U.S. Middle East Policy: From Failure in Baghdad to Desperation in Jerusalem