A new hope in the Middle East

Three events make peace possible. The first is the passage of the House to fund the government for a short time and to defund the affordable health bill. This distortion will not succeed. The voters will blame the rigid extremist right wing of the Republican Party in the House for closing down the government. More importantly, their efforts to defund “Obamacare” for the 42nd time will fail. They will be viewed as enemies of the middle class, immigrants and the poor. They will be viewed as defenders of the well-to-do and champions of the rich.

The second event that is taking place right now is the negotiations in Syria. President Obama chose diplomacy rather than violent intervention. Knock on wood, there is progress in discovery of the warfare gases stored in Syria. This may lead slowly to some healing of the senseless civil war in Syria and an attempt to help a just peace be achieved that respects the security and peace of the many minorities. Then those who are responsible for the use of banned gases in war can, by fair trial, be brought to justice.

The third concurrent event is the new openness of the president of Iran to enter diplomatic talks with the U.S. Iran is suffering economically from the sanctions imposed by the West. Iran is backing the government of Syria with arms, threatening to make the bomb against Israel, supporting Hezbollah against Israel, and make preparations to block Saudi oil in the Red Sea.

A new day is dawning in the Middle East through the use of diplomacy. It will require time, patience and cooperation between Russia and the U.S. Isn’t this prospect for a path to peace so much better than the false, aimless, expensive, and bloody road of “shock and awe”?

Tom Power

Wheaton