The New York Times columnist David Brooks sees a lot of hope in the Middle East, allegedly f'd up by President Bush's liberating war in Iraq.
How did we get to this sudden moment of cautious optimism in the Middle East? How did we get to this moment when Egypt is signing free trade agreements with Israel, when Hosni Mubarak is touring Arab nations and urging them to open relations with the Jewish state? How did we get to this moment of democratic opportunity in the Palestinian territories, with three major elections taking place in the next several months, and with the leading candidate in the presidential election declaring that violence is counterproductive?In that old Vulcan proverb, if only Nixon could go to China, then maybe only General Sharon can give birth to a democratic Palestinian state.
How did we get to this moment of odd unity in Israel, with Labor joining Likud to push a withdrawal from Gaza and some northern territories? How did we get to this moment when Ariel Sharon has record approval ratings, when it is common to run across Israelis who once reviled Sharon as a bully but who now find themselves supporting him as an agent of peace?
Things could turn out remarkably well or horribly bad, but we are in a better position now than we have been in years, even if many partisans want to be wilfully blind to that fact.
