Condi, Peace and Annapolis

Condi, Peace and Annapolis.

I was in a small group last week where someone once more bewailed the Bush Administrations failed policies. If we believe in lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness, there is light to be seen today in the efforts of the U.S. Secretayr of State, Condoleeza Rice.

Condi has been traveling the Middle East non-stop for weeks on end to bring all partners to the negotiating table and may be succeeding. Some believe that she has decided that only this project, if successful, can redeem her diplomatic career and may establish a ""legacy" for herself. Those who do not believe in the traditional God - talk, still believe in a secular mortality, like George Washington’s freeing of one half of his slaves only because he knew that history would judge him accordingly.

This process, in the current mass media obsession with triviality, scandal and love of drama, has received little attention as yet. However, Condi is somehow managing to bring to the table key players who have not otherwise been involved in the Israeli - Palestinian standoff, for instance Syria and the Saudis. A total of 50 countries.

On the eve of the Bush administration's international conference to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, a series of polls found widespread skepticism among Israelis and Palestinians about the ability of representatives of perhaps 50 countries gathering in Annapolis to solve this conflict.

Nearly three-quarters of Israelis expect the conference to lead to nothing. A majority of Palestinians expect that a failure at Annapolis will lead to a surge in violence. And while most people on both sides support peace talks, they aren't willing to make the painful sacrifices necessary to end the conflict.

In the Arab world, political commentary has been decidedly hostile. Most commentators suggest that the conference is a way to pressure Arabs to normalize relations with Israel. The word "normalization," which many Arabs interpret as defeat, crops up in nearly every Arabic-language print or broadcast item on the meeting.

Erfan Nizam al-Din, writing for the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat, condemned the talks in a tirade that accused President Bush of staging "a theatrical gesture" aimed at "saving face for the United States after a series of failures."

Not even the name of the host city is safe. A humorist at a Saudi-owned newspaper, taking advantage of the fact that "ana" in Arabic means "I" and that "police" is a word widely understood in the Middle East, put the sounds together and arrived at: Annapolis, or "I'm the police." That, he joked, was a message from Bush to Middle Eastern leaders.

"You remember that I am the police, and not only for the Middle East or for the peace process, but for the entire world," the humorist, Hamad al-Majid, wrote, imagining Bush's opening remarks.

Ben Caspit, a leading analyst for Israel's daily newspaper, Maariv may have captured the Israeli mood best when he derided Annapolis as "the most expensive photo-op in history."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas both face major problems within their spheres of influence

Nevertheless, some 50 countries are now meeting in Annapolis. Those who believe in the power of prayer and the research showing the actual effect of mass TM efforts will not overlook the ;potential in this event. The potential is large, Condi is relentless to save a legacy for herself, and never underestimate the power of a determined woman.

I happened last night upon the C-Span 2, Kennedy Center tribute to Eunice Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics and the interviews with her four children. If this is repeated, it is truly worth looking for. Failure was not an option. Maybe it is not here an option in Annapolis for Condi.

Prayerful people may want to add their 2-bits.

Namaste

Paschal Baute. November 27.