 |
[Published, Financial Times, June 26, 2007]
Sir, Without so much as saying it, Gideon Rachman ("Missed opportunities, Gaza and the spread of jihadism", June 19) makes an excellent case for why the Israeli (and US) leadership should abandon their adherence to an outmoded, traditional security paradigm that encourages its followers to pursue narrow, zero-sum, ethnocentric agendas that tend to lead to counterproductive ("lose-lose") outcomes.
This, more so than "winning the Global War on Terror" at the level of mere symptoms, is the essential security challenge of the post-9/11 world: to reframe national security in global, inclusive, collaborative terms. Israelis will be secure only when their Palestinian neighbours are also secure, and vice versa. Nothing that the Israelis have done in their state's existence has ever "meaningfully" reflected that sentiment.
When it does, the basis for a two-state solution will have been strengthened (assuming that Hamas and Fatah can be brought back together again), and then the Israelis and Palestinians can deal with their common security problems (for example, scarce water resources).
Considering the Israelis have the upper hand in terms of power, structure and international law, perhaps they (and their US ally) should make the opening move and finally start to deal resolutely, definitely, positively and successfully with their Palestinian neighbours who, God only knows, have been driven to the depths of total despair by the policies of others, including recourse to suicide terrorism and now civil war, which can only advance the cause of global jihadism against the west.
Dennis J.D. Sandole,
Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations,
Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution,
George Mason University,
Arlington, VA 22201, US
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
This material is presented as the original analysis of analysts at S-CAR and is distributed without profit and for educational purposes. Attribution to the copyright holder is provided whenever available as is a link to the original source. Reproduction of copyrighted material is subject to the requirements of the copyright owner. Visit the original source of this material to determine restrictions before reproducing it. To request the alteration or removal of this material please email [email protected].