Fouad Ajami: Don't Let Arafat Distract Us

Opinion Journal ^ | 04/13/2002 | Fouad Ajami

[Pokey78]

The sky won't fall in Araby. Entrenched regimes, which have mastered precious little save the art of staying in power, will not be stampeded by the crowds who chant in support of Yasser Arafat. This is not a "crisis" of American foreign policy playing out in Ramallah, and reverberating in Amman, Cairo and Beirut.

[Pokey78]

Ping.

[First_Salute]

The "modern" world forgets the time when might made right; which time, still exists throughout Islam.

[The Great Satan]

This guy has a way of cutting through the BS, doesn't he?

[Mr.Clark]

Ajami is a great writer and scholar, probably the preminent expert on the Middle East in America.

[68skylark]

This guy has a way of cutting through the BS, doesn't he?

Yeah, he sure does. His first few words say more than most commentators say all day.

[Let's Roll]

Does he ever! For this one sentence alone, he should be required reading around the world:
There is no conceivable American diplomacy on the Palestinian question that could still the furies of the jihadists.

[68skylark]

Day after day I'm stunned that the Bush administration wants to deal with Arafat. That has to be highly unpleasant for them, becuase they have to know it's not the right thing to do. Yet they keep doing it.

One day it will stop. One day the administration will regain it's moral bearing. One day they'll stop pussyfooting around with this bug-eyed thuggish clown.

Whatever happens after that, we can handle. And it will feel good to stand up for what is right.

[Lurker]

Thanks for the post.

L

[F16Fighter]

Fouad Ajami, who could always be counted on to give sage advice and insight into the psychology of Middle East, is a great American. Wish he were more visable on the networks than he has been.

[stripes1776]

It is not stilling the jihadists' fury that America is concerned with, but Sharon's increasing that jihadists fury to an unmanageable level

So, you advocate a policy of Israel just sitting by passively while wave after wave of homicidal terrorist bomb their citizens. Either you have a death wish yourself, or you are pro-terrorist.

[scratchgolfer]

This fellow is one of the greats. An honest no BS Arab.

[WOSG]

how much does the world condemn Syria's occupation of Lebanon?

[quimby]

Thanks for the post. We need a Fouad list. Also see this:

The war that Arafat called forth (FOUAD AJAMI)