Dennis Ross vs. Obama: No link between Iran, Mideast peace
Dennis Ross, the U.S. Secretary of State’s special adviser on Iran, says in a new book that the United States will not make progress toward peace in the Middle East with the Obama administration’s new plan.
The book, written with David Makovsky and entitled “Myths, illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East,” opposes the Obama administration’s concept of linkage. The book is to be published by Viking Press next month.
Just why is Ross so anxious to argue that the unrest in the middle east has NOTHING to do with the massacre in Lebanon and Gaza?
All Arab leaders have confirmed the connection between Israeli aggression and Arab militant extremism. But Ross thinks he knows best:
In the second chapter, entitled “Linkage: The Mother of All Myths,” Ross writes: “Of all the policy myths that have kept us from making real progress in the Middle East, one stands out for its impact and longevity: the idea that if only the Palestinian conflict were solved, all other Middle East conflicts would melt away. This is the argument of ‘linkage.'”
Ross wrote the book with Makovsky, a former Jerusalem Post journalist who in recent years has been a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, considered a pro-Israel think tank.
The book was written before Ross took up his current position as senior State Department adviser. Ross’ appointment has been controversial because he is an observant Jew and is considered a strong supporter of Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088479.html
Obama brought him into the administration…and not poor Ross can’t promote his book.
Ross, still putting Israel ahead of America’s national defense. There are words for him.
Does anyone with more than two active brain cells think Dennis Ross was, is, or ever could be a fair broker?!
And by the way, the problem is not that he is an observant Jew or any other kind of Jew.
You are right.
As the witches said: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” You expected anything else of the Obama administration? Why? How?
The proof of Obama’s sincerity about peace via two states is in the definition of what he believes is a Palestinian state. A bantustan is still a state of sorts with political autonomy, an economy, and freedom of sorts, at least internally.
We have yet to understand from the Obama administration where it draws the borders of this Palestinian state. It is the critical issue.
Obama has defanged Ross.
I have not seen any evidence of this so far.
What has George Mitchell been up to? I feel a slight twinge of hope when he was announced. But since then I haven’t heard anything about him (and quick tour of Google News isn’t that informative.)
Ross, OTOH, seems like an obviously awful appointment for his role – he worked for Wolfowitz. WTF?
Bringing Ross on board was done on propose. Give Obama credit.